Parents of students suggested allocating scholarships for outstanding students

With a fee of 4 thousand dirhams. School opens its doors to low-income children

Education and knowledge is keen to provide schools that meet the needs of various segments of society. «From the source»

A private school (ministerial curriculum) announced the opening of registration for low-income students with reduced fees of 4000,<> dirhams for all grades in its branches in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, while students' parents called for expanding the establishment of private schools for low-income children, or allocating a number of study seats at reduced fees in each private school, while obliging schools to provide scholarships for outstanding students and other grants for special and emergency cases, within the framework of the schools' community role.

In detail, the parents of students interacted with the announcement of one of the schools to open registration with reduced tuition fees of 4000,<> dirhams, demanding the expansion of the opening of schools with low fees, or the allocation of a number of seats in each school with reduced fees as a kind of community participation, in addition to educational scholarships for outstanding school students in recognition of their scientific and sports excellence, and educational grants for students who are financially distressed to ensure the continuation of the educational process for students.

The school stressed that the main objective of its establishment is to provide education opportunity for students from low-income families who face challenges in accessing education, so it was keen to have reduced and uniform fees for all stages of education, from kindergarten to twelfth grade.

For registration and admission, the school required the provision of a stamped bank statement for the last three or six months, a notarized lease contract, and a salary certificate stamped by the employer, while the admission form includes the total monthly income of the guardian, and the number of dependent children of the guardian, noting its right to reject any student who does not meet all admission requirements. No student will be considered officially registered until they meet all admission requirements, pay their fees or make payment arrangements.

Meanwhile, the parents of students in private schools, Mutasim Ahmed, Magdy Fouad, Feryal Saad, and Marwa Najdi, called for obliging private schools to allocate a number of their seats for community participation, and distribute them between scholarships for distinguished and outstanding students, and scholarships for the financially distressed, while taking sufficient guarantees to ensure that the student is eligible for the scholarship, in order to help them achieve a stable academic year, and as a kind of community participation in reducing the financial burdens on parents who have been exposed to emergency circumstances such as job loss and the only source of income.

They pointed out that outstanding students do not receive any discount or appreciation in most schools, unlike what is done in the branches of the schools themselves outside the country, where these branches provide full scholarships for students who excel scientifically and athletically, while students are exposed annually to the suspension of their educational career due to emergency circumstances that befall their families that prevent them from paying fees.

They pointed out that the inability of the guardian to pay the fees for an academic year results in the student stopping studying, as he cannot transfer him to another school before paying the fees.

They added that a student's transfer from school results in psychological damage that affects his academic level, stressing that providing schools with scholarships for defaulters can contribute to helping dozens of students and their families.

While the parents of students, Ahmed Mohsen, Omar Abdel Hamid, Fadia Diaa El-Din, Manal Abdullah, and Kholoud Ibrahim, suggested that schools set strict conditions for grants, including proving the family's inability to pay fees due to force majeure circumstances, and that the guardian is a regular in payment previously, and that the student is enrolled in school from kindergarten or first grade and has been studying at school for at least five years, and that the scholarship be for one year as an aid to the family to solve its problem, with Sign the family's contribution to the financing of this grant in the event of an improvement in its financial conditions.

The proposals included adding 100 dirhams to the tuition fees for each student and allocating them to participate in financing low-income seats and "granting the children of the financially distressed", provided that the school bears a part equal to the participation of parents, so that the community contribution is participatory between the school and the students' parents, and that the parents' council cooperates with the school in supervising the scholarship and the process of accepting eligible cases.

On the other hand, the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) has affirmed its keenness to provide a group of schools that meet the needs of different segments of society and suit their cultural backgrounds, and would respond to the aspirations of various parents, while ensuring the stability of the levels of fees required by private schools, in addition to obliging schools to set appropriate fees for students' parents.

The department explained in the Private Schools Policy Manual that when evaluating the appropriateness of school fees, it is taken into account to compare school fees with school fees of similar quality and curricula, with an estimate of the general effectiveness of the school in the latest evaluation report, and the cost of school facilities and services, in addition to ensuring that fees are not set that enable the school to achieve excessive profits so that commercial interest prevails over the quality of education.

100 School Scholarships

Emirates National Schools announced the launch of the "Scholarship Program for Academically Outstanding and Talented Male and Female Students" in its schools, where the program will provide 100 scholarships to eligible students in both categories, covering from 25% to 100% of tuition fees, and the eligible students will be selected based on specific criteria and conditions, which will be applied from the next academic year 2023/2024.

Emirates National School explained that the scholarship program for outstanding and talented students includes two sections, "Academic Merit Category" and "Distinguished Talents and Skills Category".

The "Academic Merit Category" will be open to male and female students who have achieved success in their academic endeavors, such as obtaining a high GPA, participating in extracurricular activities, and demonstrating exceptional leadership skills, while the "Outstanding Talents and Skills" category will be open to students with unique talents and skills in science and technology, arts, sports and athletics.

This category is designed to recognize the outstanding achievements of male and female students who have shown exceptional talent in their chosen fields.

Registration conditions to benefit from the reduced fees:

• Provide a stamped bank statement for the last three or six months.

• Notarized lease contract.

• Salary certificate stamped by the employer.