For single mother Umm Ahmed, it was impossible to pay her 11-year-old son's school fees on a term basis. Consequently, she negotiated a monthly payment plan with the Sharjah school her son attends. "We joined the school when my son was in Grade 2, and now he is in Grade 6," she explained. "Over the past four years, the school has been very accommodating, allowing me to use a payment plan to clear the fees. It has been a real lifesaver for me."
Like Umm Ahmed, many parents have negotiated payment plans with their educational institutions to ease the burden of paying a term's fees at once. Others utilize credit cards and bank offers to break down payments into manageable installments. Most schools in the UAE require parents to pay school fees on a term basis. Umm Ahmed follows a yearly pattern, issuing a quarterly cheque as a guarantee, paying monthly, and having the cheque returned at the end of each quarter.
However, several schools, particularly those following the Indian syllabus, allow parents to pay either monthly or termly. Parent Hannah K. pays monthly for her Grade 1 son at Our Own English High School in Dubai. "I'm grateful for the option because it doesn't burden us unnecessarily. Parents can also pay bus fees monthly," she said. Another parent, Manish Khiara, mentioned that the Indian High School in Dubai has had a monthly payment plan since the 1990s.
Credit cards offer another solution, with several banks and platforms like Tabby and Payit allowing parents to make monthly payments without interest. Umm Ahmed initially sought a credit card but was unable to obtain one due to her financial situation. Sharjah resident Mohammed Iqbal used a credit card for the first time to pay school fees, breaking down a large sum into manageable chunks.
A senior spokesperson at a leading British-syllabus school in Jumeirah confirmed that the management allows some parents to pay monthly in "unique circumstances" when facing financial difficulties. "The rule is that school fees must be paid quarterly," he said. "However, we are understanding and negotiate a payment plan with them in such cases. This is not advertised, as we don't want parents to approach without a legitimate reason."
Earlier, Sharjah parent Nighat Abbas negotiated a payment plan with the institute her daughter attended. "With three children in university, an institute, and school, the start of school terms is always challenging for us," she said. "We approached the school and institute for a payment plan. The school refused, but the institute agreed, which has been a big help."
