Parents on breadline owe school Dh500,000

About 30 per cent of parents of the 1,406 pupils at the Sheikh Rashid Al Maktoum Pakistani School have fallen behind in paying school fees.

Dr Abdur Rashid Bangash, former prinicpal of the Sheikh Rashid Al Maktoum Pakistani School, says about 30 per cent of parents have failed to comply with the payment schedule. Sarah Dea / The National

DUBAI // Hard-up parents forced to choose between paying for food, rent or education are defaulting on their children’s school fees.

One Pakistani school in Dubai is owed almost half a million dirhams by the families of nearly a third of its 1,406 pupils.

“Most of the parents say they cannot pay because they are unemployed, have been fired or are looking for another job. Some say they are in the process of clearing debt,” said Dr Abdur Bangash, who resigned this month after three years as principal of Sheikh Rashid Al Maktoum Pakistani School.

“When we remind them of their dues, they always have a long list of expenses, and school fees are at the bottom.”

Fees at the school range from Dh270 to Dh355 a month. The total unpaid for 2014-2015 is Dh499,945.

Dr Bangash said many parents had brought their families to the UAE when they were better off, but because of the rising cost of living they could no longer afford to pay for their children’s education.

The school’s policy was not to expel pupils over unpaid fees, he said. “We don’t want to harm their futures because of their parents. We try our best not to disturb the students’ education.”

Some families were so much in debt that they had to approach charitable organisations for money to pay their dues, he said.

Zareen Gul, whose son is in the Grade 9 at the school, earns Dh2,500 a month working for a private company, but owes Dh8,705 in fees. As a result, he cannot afford to send his daughters to school.

“My daughters are learning the Quran. This is the maximum I can do for them,” he said.

“My financial condition is very bad. I cannot pay the fee of my child every month. Sometimes it takes several months to pay the fee.”

He is reluctant to send his family back to Pakistan because he believes they would not be safe.

“The security situation is not good in the place where I am from, so sending them back home is not a good idea. I will continue to struggle for better days in Dubai.”

Mohammed Rauf, a driving instructor who has not paid his two sons’ fees for 10 months and owes more than Dh5,000, blamed the rising cost of living.

“I earn Dh5,500 every month. I am the single earner of my five-member family. And I have to manage everything from this amount – food, rent, bills, medical and school fees.

“I don’t even ask about the pending dues of my second child. It is always more than my monthly salary.”

Mr Rauf said the school was supportive, but pupils whose parents owe the school are sometimes not allowed to take end-of-year exams.

“We hope that the fees are settled through donations,” he said.

“If not, then I have to run around for loans to settle at least the minimum amount so that my son’s studies are not stopped.”

Mr Rauf said his daughter, 19, had been forced to finish her education early because of money concerns.