Abu Dhabi’s Aldar Education to offer 20% school fee cut, refund transport charges

Abu Dhabi’s property developer Aldar Properties has launched a new initiative to support the families of all its students enrolled in Aldar Academies and Cranleigh Abu Dhabi that are part of the Aldar Education portfolio.

The initiative includes a 20 per cent reduction in school fees and a refund of all catering and transportation fees for the third term of the academic year.

It is also establishing an ‘all in this together’ fund to support families who are expected to be impacted financially.

Families will also be given the option to pay the remainder amount of Term 3 fees in instalments in the four-month period prior to the start of the next academic year in September 2020.

Those who have already made the payment of Term 3 fees in full will be credited the 20 per cent discount against Term 1 fees for 2020-21.

Families also have the option of a zero per cent interest, monthly payment plan for school fees of the 2020-2021 academic year.

In addition, Aldar Education is making an investment of Dhs10m towards technology and infrastructure to facilitate distance learning programmes and to pay for devices distributed to families who did not have the requisite tools to support their children’s e-learning endeavours.

Talal Al Dhiyebi, CEO of Aldar, said: “We promised, at the beginning of these difficult circumstances, that we will face them together. Everyone in the Aldar family is working tirelessly to explore methods that can help ease the burden on our people, customers, partners and the wider community.

“The newly introduced options for the Aldar Education community are not only an extension of this work but are also part of our commitment to contributing to the tremendous efforts that our wise leadership is putting to ensure that everyone in our society is supported during this challenging environment.”

The UAE extended the nation-wide distance learning initiatives – earlier scheduled to end on April 4, with schools expected to resume on April 5 – until the end of the academic year, in a step to safeguard public health and help halt the spread of the contagion.

Read: All UAE schools, universities to extend e-learning programmes until June

Several schools across the country have responded to the situation by waiving tuition and transportation fees. UAE-based Al Najah Education has also announced a 20 per cent reduction in school fees at its Jumeirah based schools, Horizon English School and Horizon International School, which will apply to all year groups for the third term of the 2019/2020 academic year.

Few schools such as GEMS Education have reportedly said it will offer discounts to parents subject to them submitting details of their ongoing financial situation.

Read: Covid-19: Schools at liberty to cut tuition fee; transportation fee must be refunded – KHDA