The UAE’s largest school operator has been criticised after telling parents they would be means tested before being entitled to reductions in fees.
Earlier this week, Gems Education said families who had been "adversely impacted" by the coronavirus pandemic could receive financial help from the group.
The move was initially welcomed by parents anxious to reduce their spending in light of the potential economic repercussions of the outbreak.
But Gems later revealed it would require bank statements and letters from employers before offering the discounts.
This means-tested approach will allow us to allocate our relief efforts to those most in need during these unprecedented times
The provider did not comment on parents' criticism on Thursday, but earlier this week said the "means-tested approach will allow us to allocate our relief efforts to those most in need".
It said the move would allow it to "retain all of our teachers and manage our cost base".
Parents said they should not have to hand over their personal income details in exchange for relief.
“What they are suggesting is just crass,” said Samiah Hamdani, 45, who pays Dh155,000 a year for her two teenage boys to attend Gems schools.
“They are being so insensitive. It’s obvious they could afford to offer a flat reduction in fees as a goodwill gesture to all parents especially when plenty of other schools in the country, who don’t charge as much in fees, are able to do it.
“My daughter goes to a non-profit school and even they offered us a discount.”
Gems Education manages more than 250 schools around the world, teaching some 174,000 pupils.
This week, officials sent a letter to parents in the UAE saying they could apply for reduced fees provided they met a certain criteria. The conditions included the loss of a job, being placed on unpaid leave or being required to take a pay cut.
Parents were also told the group reserved the right to contact employers to verify any documents.
On Thursday, many parents said they were taken back by the means testing policy.
They pointed out that other schools in the Emirates had agreed to reduce fees by as much as 50 per cent for all pupils, regardless of individual financial circumstances.
Others have offered a 25 per cent reduction for the summer term owing to the UAE’s remote learning programme continuing until the start of the next academic year in September.
“We are asking for a discount across the board,” said Bindu Jag, from India, who pays more than Dh145,000 a year in Gems school fees.
“Our family’s income may not be hit now but will be in six months’ time.
“Gems is asking for bank statements and we would not want to share our personal documents.
“The smaller schools are most affected but they have gone ahead and offered discounts.
“This [pandemic will have] a long-term impact and we do not know what the next few months will be like.”
On Wednesday, parents at Kings School Dubai, another school operator, also said they were unhappy at not being offered a flat discount on school fees.
Families have launched an online petition asking the school to provide a 30 per cent reduction in the cost of education for the summer term.
So far, more than 760 parents have signed the appeal, arguing that given school premises were not being used - lowering operating costs - it was reasonable to also expect a reduction in fees.
“Children are not attending school for the entire semester, neither using the premises, utilities, facilities nor all extra circular activities which are now closed for the entire semester thus reducing the school’s costs,” the petition said.
“While we appreciate the school’s decision to pay its staff in full, we also firmly believe that this is purely an employer’s decision and responsibility and that the financial implications of this decision must not be passed on to the parents.”
The petition also stated it was unfair to ask parents to pay the full amount when they were currently spending anywhere from five to seven hours a day assisting their children while they completed online lessons.
“The school is asking for bank statements to prove people do not have the means to pay,” said Natasha Rawden, who has two children enrolled at a Kings school and pays close to Dh125,000 a year in tuition fees.
“This is awful and is an invasion of our privacy. They deposited our cheques for term three without informing us.
“We wrote to the school and told them we should have had prior warning and some compensation.
“Many people may not be in much financial difficulty at the moment but things may change.”
The National approached Kings' School Dubai for comment but received no response.
Gems Education said they would not be commenting on the matter.
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
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How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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If you go:
The flights: Etihad, Emirates, British Airways and Virgin all fly from the UAE to London from Dh2,700 return, including taxes
The tours: The Tour for Muggles usually runs several times a day, lasts about two-and-a-half hours and costs £14 (Dh67)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on now at the Palace Theatre. Tickets need booking significantly in advance
Entrance to the Harry Potter exhibition at the House of MinaLima is free
The hotel: The grand, 1909-built Strand Palace Hotel is in a handy location near the Theatre District and several of the key Harry Potter filming and inspiration sites. The family rooms are spacious, with sofa beds that can accommodate children, and wooden shutters that keep out the light at night. Rooms cost from £170 (Dh808).
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Funchal via Lisbon, with a connecting flight with Air Portugal. Economy class returns cost from Dh3,845 return including taxes.
The trip
The WalkMe app can be downloaded from the usual sources. If you don’t fancy doing the trip yourself, then Explore offers an eight-day levada trails tour from Dh3,050, not including flights.
The hotel
There isn’t another hotel anywhere in Madeira that matches the history and luxury of the Belmond Reid's Palace in Funchal. Doubles from Dh1,400 per night including taxes.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
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Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Letstango.com
Started: June 2013
Founder: Alex Tchablakian
Based: Dubai
Industry: e-commerce
Initial investment: Dh10 million
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 300,000 unique customers every month
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
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Schedule for show courts
Centre Court - from 4pm UAE time
Johanna Konta (6) v Donna Vekic
Andy Murray (1) v Dustin Brown
Rafael Nadal (4) v Donald Young
Court 1 - from 4pm UAE time
Kei Nishikori (9) v Sergiy Stakhovsky
Qiang Wang v Venus Williams (10)
Beatriz Haddad Maia v Simona Halep (2)
Court 2 - from 2.30pm
Heather Watson v Anastasija Sevastova (18)
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (12) v Simone Bolelli
Florian Mayer v Marin Cilic (7)
The%20specs
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Syria 1-1 Australia
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Pupils in Abu Dhabi are learning the importance of being active, eating well and leading a healthy lifestyle now and throughout adulthood, thanks to a newly launched programme 'Healthy Lifestyle'.
As part of the Healthy Lifestyle programme, specially trained coaches from City Football Schools, along with Healthpoint physicians have visited schools throughout Abu Dhabi to give fun and interactive lessons on working out regularly, making the right food choices, getting enough sleep and staying hydrated, just like their favourite footballers.
Organised by Manchester City FC and Healthpoint, Manchester City FC’s regional healthcare partner and part of Mubadala’s healthcare network, the ‘Healthy Lifestyle’ programme will visit 15 schools, meeting around 1,000 youngsters over the next five months.
Designed to give pupils all the information they need to improve their diet and fitness habits at home, at school and as they grow up, coaches from City Football Schools will work alongside teachers to lead the youngsters through a series of fun, creative and educational classes as well as activities, including playing football and other games.
Dr Mai Ahmed Al Jaber, head of public health at Healthpoint, said: “The programme has different aspects - diet, exercise, sleep and mental well-being. By having a focus on each of those and delivering information in a way that children can absorb easily it can help to address childhood obesity."
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
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England Test squad
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Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
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Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica
Best Agent: Jorge Mendes
Best Club : Liverpool
Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker
Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP
Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart
Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)
Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)
Best Women's Player: Lucy Bronze
Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi
Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)
Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
