The Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA) authorities will not allow the emirate’s schools to dismiss students from appearing for an examination or deny their right to education due to a delay in payment of tuition fees caused by financial constraints in the COVID-19 pandemic.
All schools should comply with the procedures and instructions while also being flexible in accepting payment of tuition fees, Ali Al Hosany, Director, SPEA, said while citing the SPEA’s circular No. (7) for the academic year 2020-21, which has been distributed among all private schools in Sharjah.
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The circular, which stipulates the mechanisms of dealing with late payment of tuition fees, emphasized that the school authorities must directly communicate with the parents and guardians to remind them about timely payment of tuition fees, while not penalizing the student for any delay in this regard.
While the regulatory body had suggested options such as rescheduling the payment of tuition fees conveniently for both school authorities and parents and guardians, the circular guaranteed the private schools the right to refrain from issuing transfer certificates or report cards and also re-registering a pupil in the next academic year till all outstanding dues are cleared.
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Even as the SPEA’s circular is applicable to the third and last semester of the academic year 2020-2, Al Hosani reminded the stakeholders about the participatory nature of their relationships and the SPEA’s bid to create a congenial atmosphere to champion the cause of education. A healthy ecosystem that helps the dissemination of knowledge to flourish and compliance with the SPEA’s directives is the right step in that direction, he added.
