Dubai: The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) on Thursday said schools do not have the right to change services during the academic year.
It was reacting to the decision taken by the Global Management Systems (GEMS), a private education conglomerate, to outsource its school bus services in nine of its Dubai-based schools as of June 1 to cut costs. Gulf News had reported the story on April 23.
Mohammad Darwish, Chief of Licensing and Customer Relations at the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, said: "It is only when a service is mandatory, when the school does not give a parent the choice of whether to pay for it or not, then the school may not increase the cost of that service independently.
"We are concerned that this is happening now. Schools do not have the right to change services during the academic year."
Colonel M.L. Augustine, director administration and education secretariat, GEMS, said that they had applied for an increase in transportation fee with the KHDA and was refused.
By Sunita Menon, Staff Reporter
Page last updated 01 January 2020