Parents in Dubai who opt out of remote classes during school closures cannot use that choice as grounds to withhold or reduce tuition payments, under guidelines governing school fees issued by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority.
The policy, which gained renewed attention following the Iranian attacks on the UAE that forced physical school closures, makes clear that KHDA-approved distance learning constitutes full service delivery. Tuition fees are calculated on a daily basis and remain due for every day that educational services are made available, regardless of how they are delivered.
“Tuition fees remain payable for any period during which the service was available and delivered, including when the service is delivered through distance learning or any other alternative method deemed appropriate and approved by KHDA,” the guidelines state.
Schools are entitled to retain fees collected for any period in which services were provided, with those payments classified as non-refundable. If a parent has a grievance about the quality or method of delivery, the prescribed recourse is the school’s internal complaints mechanism — not a suspension of payment. “Fees remain payable in full during the resolution of any such complaint,” the document reads.
The policy does, however, recognise that circumstances can arise where a school is genuinely unable to deliver its services. In such cases, fees are no longer owed from the point of non-delivery, and parents become entitled to compensation. Refunds must be formalised in writing and can take one of three forms: a credit note applied against future fees with any unused balance refunded if the student does not return; a transfer of that credit to a sibling enrolled or expected to enrol at the same school; or a direct refund for the period in question.
When a school voluntarily suspends or scales back its own services for reasons within its control, it is required to notify parents in writing, stating the reason and anticipated duration. Compensation in those cases may also include additional sessions once normal operations resume, alongside the credit and refund options available under standard non-delivery rules.
For parents who choose to discontinue their child’s enrolment entirely, formal withdrawal through the school’s procedures is required, with standard refund provisions applying from the date that withdrawal takes effect.
