ABU DHABI // Parents of pupils at the former 21st Century Private Academy have been assured by the emirate’s education regulator that they will not have to repay their children’s school fees.
In August the owner of the school lost his operating licence for many breaches, according to Abu Dhabi Education Council’s Private School and Quality Assurance department, “with no correction from his side”.
Many parents paid their children’s school fees for the 2015-2016 academic year to the 21st Century Private Academy in advance, without knowing the school was at risk of closure.
The PSQA said if parents could show proof they had paid for their children’s tuition, registration or other school fees, they would not have to repay these fees to the new operator, the Philippine Global School.
Adec said an agreement with the new operator meant “the money collected by the previous operator might not be redeemed and [the new operator] has accepted not to charge the parents [again] should they provide invoices that all the tuition fees have been collected”.
“Most schools only collect instalment one, which is now finished, so parents are expected to pay the rest of the instalments for the year unless they paid for the full year,” Adec said.
If parents succeed in reclaiming the money they were owed by the 21st Century Private Academy through the courts, they must pay this refund to the Philippine Global School.
Parents have been taking court action since September against the former operator to regain the money they said was close to Dh2 million in total.
The PSQA said Adec could not help parents to recover the funds they had paid to the former operator, but encouraged them to pursue American Companies Management Group (ACMG) and its subsidiary, Universal Future Education (UFE), through the legal system for a refund.
“Adec is not expected to act on behalf of the parents in money rights claiming,” the PSQA said. “Parents are encouraged and directed to approach the regulatory authority and file cases against the previous operator and claim the money.”
Z Y, who paid about Dh3,000 to the former operator for her eight-year-old daughter’s school fees, hoped Adec would communicate the agreement, in writing, with the parents.
“We need it in writing because Adec can say what others may want to hear, but it might not be acknowledged by the new operator,” Z Y said. “If they can provide us in a letter [details] that the new school agreed on, then that will be great news for everyone.”
D P, a father of three, welcomed the news from Adec, but also hoped either the education regulator or the school would put it in writing.
“I think we still need confirmation from the Global Philippine School that, yes, we agreed and it is already a done deal, and Adec and our company or group has this agreement that those who paid in full will no longer worry about the payment for the entire school year, because it is treated as fully paid,” D P said.
An ACMG employee said the company chairman, Sultan Al Hosani, was out of the country. The company’s human resources manager was also not available.
“The case is with the courts right now and we are waiting for the court to pass a judgment, so we know if we are going to refund this amount or the other company,” the employee said.
“Whether we are going to pay it, or whether the other company is going to pay it. We are waiting for the courts.”
The employee was unable to specify who the other company was.
The Philippine Global School did not respond to requests for comment.
rpennington@thenational.ae
