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GRIEVANCE REDRESSAL

Speaking to City Times, Jumaa Al Sallami, Acting Under-Secretary for Private Education at the ministry, said AAEZ had recently fowarded parents' complaints about irregularities committed by Al Manahil Private School, including collection of fee from students for July and August besides selling books at high rates.

Al Sallami said investigations had revealed that Al Manahil School had switched over to British curriculum last year from Pakistani curriculum, and the school administration had notified students and their parents about the change.

The school informed the parents that they will either have to change to the British curriculum or transfer their children to other schools which follow Pakistani curriculum.

The Pakistani curriculum term starts in April while the British term begins in September, and students who prefer to change to the British curriculum and continue in the school will have to pay the remaining instalments of the Pakistani curriculum fee, the school said.

"Some parents wanted their children to take up the British curriculum without paying the remaining fees while others asked the school to issue them official letters to facilitate transfer of their children to other Pakistani schools without paying the instalment dues," he said.

The Licence Department at the Education Ministry had given the school license to apply the British curriculum only from kindergarten 1 to class eight, since the school had not obtained the academic accreditation from Cambridge University which requires at least two years.

Meanwhile, the school principal, in a letter to AAEZ, said it was common knowledge that all Pakistani schools take 12 months instalments from students annually.

Among other complaints were that the school was charging Dh50 for an Arabic handwriting book against the market cost of Dh5, besides collecting computer-learning fees from students despite the fact that the school had only one computer.

The school principal informed the ministry that the ministry could send an investigation committee any time to see the well-equipped computer laboratory.