ABU DHABI // A school has announced it will scrap thousands of dirhams of extra charges it had asked parents to pay, after regulators ordered a refund.
In a memo to parents on Sunday night, Lesley-Ann Wallace, the principal at the British International School in Abu Dhabi, said families would only be charged tuition fees approved by the Abu Dhabi Education Council.
“As such, your customer account will be readjusted from the invoice sent to you recently,” the memo said.
“This re-credit will ensure that the fees you pay are compliant with Adec’s regulations and we will continue to work with Adec to strategise for the future to ensure fee structures support continued investment.”
The decision was welcomed by parents but Barton Jokinen, the father of a Year 1 pupil at the school, was concerned that no deadline had been set on the readjustment.
“There should be more transparency,” Mr Jokinen said. “I haven’t received any notice about the refund and they do not have a timeline about what’s going to happen. I’m not too happy with the school.”
The British International School in Abu Dhabi had said Adec was last year told of the 5 per cent tuition increase. But Adec said the increase was not authorised and ordered the refund.
The school had announced that this year it would impose a new maintenance charge of Dh2,000 for each pupil and a non-refundable entry fee of Dh2,500 for Year 1 and Dh9,000 for other grades.
“We have communicated with the school principal and asked her to stop the collections as further action will be taken against the school,” Adec said on Sunday.
Ms Wallace said the school’s intention had been “to add another 500 school spaces to meet the demand for school places in the city, and develop our second floor with additional premium and contemporary learning spaces”.
The final fee structure would be posted on the school website, she said.
“Now I think it’s fair,” said a mother of two, who asked not to be identified. “But I think I’ll be more happy if the school improves its level of academic excellence and instils student discipline.”
rruiz@thenational.ae
The specs
Engine: 2.5-litre, turbocharged 5-cylinder
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 400hp
Torque: 500Nm
Price: Dh300,000 (estimate)
On sale: 2022
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202-litre%204-cylinder%20turbo%20and%203.6-litre%20V6%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeven-speed%20automatic%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20235hp%20and%20310hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E258Nm%20and%20271Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh185%2C100%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
Results
1. Mathieu van der Poel (NED) Alpecin-Fenix - 3:45:47
2. David Dekker (NED) Jumbo-Visma - same time
3. Michael Morkov (DEN) Deceuninck-QuickStep
4. Emils Liepins (LAT) Trek-Segafredo
5. Elia Viviani (ITA) Cofidis
6. Tadej Pogacar (SLO UAE Team Emirates
7. Anthony Roux (FRA) Groupama-FDJ
8. Chris Harper (AUS) Jumbo-Visma - 0:00:03
9. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep
10. Fausto Masnada (ITA) Deceuninck-QuickStep
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
Dark Souls: Remastered
Developer: From Software (remaster by QLOC)
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Price: Dh199
