Thousands of parents across the UAE must foot the bill for costly exams despite schoolchildren not being able to sit the tests due to coronavirus.
School operators said they had no choice but to pass on the fees, which can total more than Dh2,000, as normal given exam boards were refusing to waive their charges.
Pupils throughout the country have been taught at home since March when the government was forced to close schools to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Summer term exams were also cancelled, with pupils instead assessed by their overall performance during the year.
“I find it unfortunate that most UK exam boards have chosen to charge parents full fees for the cancelled GCSE and A-Level exams,” said Brendon Fulton, school principal of the Dubai British School, part of the schools operator Taaleem.
Parents are very rightly upset with this. Unfortunately, the schools have no say over what the exam boards charge.
“While I appreciate that there are still costs involved in administering the predicted grades process to allow exam boards to ratify and award final grades to students, this process cannot possibly be as onerous or costly as marking and moderating hundreds upon thousands of exam scripts.
“Parents are very rightly upset with this. Unfortunately, the schools have no say over what the exam boards charge.
“I would have hoped the exam boards would do as we as an organisation did and provide parents with some deserved respite from costs during this period.”
Distance learning has become the new normal for millions of pupils around the world since the outbreak of Covid-19.
Governments had no choice but to take the draconian measure to close schools as part of efforts to reduce infection rates.
In the Emirates, education authorities announced schools would shut in March and instead launched a range of online learning platforms.
Some schools reacted by agreeing to offer discounts on fees, providing much-needed financial assistance to families, some of whom lost jobs as a result of the pandemic.
Repton in Dubai and British School Al Khubairat (Bsak) in Abu Dhabi – two of the country's highest-ranked schools – both cut fees by 15 per cent, for example.
Meanwhile, Taaleem, which operates 13 schools across the country, offered parents a 20 to 25 per cent fee discount for term three.
In the case of cancelled exams, however, exam boards have appeared less keen to alter their fee structure. Some end-of-year tests can cost more than Dh1,000 per pupil.
One parent, who did not want to be named, said he had been forced to pay more than Dh2,500 for his child to sit three exams, which did not take place.
Others said they had assumed some form of fee reduction would be implemented by exam boards, but that they had been left disappointed.
Indian mum Swati Bagai, said she had hoped her 18-year-old son’s Dh2,000 exam fees would be halved.
"The International Baccalaureate exams fees are very high [and] we were hoping that part of the fees would be refunded,” she said.
"No one has to be paid to prepare the question papers so there are savings. A lot of families are facing challenging times, having lost jobs, and even a small saving would help them.”
The International Baccalaureate recently opened its 50th IB World School, the Dubai International Academy in Al Barsha.
There, parents have paid an assessment fee per subject as opposed to the usual charge to sit an exam. Results are due to be released on July 5.
A group spokesman for IB schools said they had no control over the fees charged to parents that are set by IB World Schools, their governing body.
“The IB does not have influence over how IB World Schools set and charge fees for students,” a spokesman said.
“Assessment has been undertaken in line with the IB’s normal procedures and quality assurances.
“Results will be based on the externally marked assessment components and overseen by independent chief examiners.
“Pupils will receive...course results or certificates that reflect their standard of work.
“Therefore, the IB will not be refunding the candidate subject examination fees.”
Parents of children at schools operator Gems Education, which runs 45 schools across the UAE, will also be charged exam fees set by boards.
“As is normal practice, these costs have been passed on to families,” said Jodh Singh Dhesi, deputy chief education officer at the operator.
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
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