gulfnews.com, Saturday 5 Jun 2010
Ministry, KHDA In Talks To Resolve Fee Crisis
Federal authority and Dubai body to make responsibilities clear
Dubai, Anjana Sankar:
The power struggle between the Ministry of Education and the Knowledge and Human
Development Authority (KHDA) is heating up over the issue of who wields the
final say on the approval of fee increases in private schools.
Parents and students of five GEMS school have been caught in the crossfire as
the federal authority and the state body, battle it out it in the open — one
overruling the other's decision on whether schools should be allowed to raise
their fees this year.
While the Minister of Education Humaid Mohammad Obaid Al Qutami maintains that
these schools deserve to increase fees for their survival, the KHDA is
implacable in its stand that fee increases are unjustifiable this year.
According to both governmental bodies, talks are underway to resolve the crisis.
"It will be soon clear who has the power to do what and in which areas," Al
Qutami told Gulf News when asked where the jurisdiction of his ministry begins
and ends in the context of schools in Dubai.
Responding to the same issue, Mohammad Darwish, chief of the Regulations and
Compliance Commission at the KHDA, said they are currently in dialogue with the
Ministry of Education (MoE) to come up with the most appropriate way of
implementing its decision — "in a way that looks at the needs of all parties
involved [the parents and the school owners]."
"[The] KHDA believes the MoE decision is an unbudgeted expense for families and
will be difficult to implement as it comes after the current academic year has
begun. Discussions with the MoE for the same are currently under way," he said.
Coordinating Functions
On the question of who has supremacy over Dubai schools, Maisa Gadeer, a Federal
National Council Member (FNC), said the ministry is only a coordinating body in
Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
"According to article five of the Decree No 30 issued in 2006, under which KHDA
is formed, it is the sole authority to license, regulate and control schools in
Dubai," said Maisa.
She added that if there is a conflict between both the bodies, the local
authority has the final say. Hence, the ministry does not have the power to
impose its decisions on the KHDA.
Gulf News has learnt that several thousands of parents have coughed up the new
fees in schools like Our Own English High School, Millennium School and
Kindergarten Starters.
"What can we do when the school issues a circular stating that they have
permission to increase the fees," said Joseph, who refused to give his first
name.
"I have my two children going to the Our Own English High School in Dubai and
the fifteen per cent increase is a huge burden on our family budget."
Tug-Of-War: Battle For Supremacy
The KHDA announced a fee freeze in March this year denying Asian schools the
permission to increase the fees.
The tug of war began when the Ministry of Education exercised its federal
authority and gave at least five GEMS schools the go ahead to raise fees up to
15 per cent.
Humaid Al Qutami, Minister of Education, told Gulf News on May 13 that the
ministry has considered requests from schools on an individual basis and has
approved increases within the federal parameters.
Al Qutami added that the federal rule allowing schools up to a 30 per cent
increase applies all over the UAE and Dubai is no exception.
"There is no separate rule for Dubai. We want to support the private sector and
encourage investment in the education sector," he added.
When GEMS Schools sent circulars to their parents announcing the new approved
fee structure, to be applicable from June onwards, KHDA declared in the media
that "no school in Dubai can change its fee structure unless KHDA confirms this
to the respective school in writing."
"This is imperative as all schools operate under KHDA's mandate and are issued
Educational Services Permits by the authority. Additionally, no fee changes can
be implemented once the academic year has already begun," said Mohammad Darwish,
chief of the Regulations and Compliance Commission at the KHDA.