“Escalation is very unlikely. A parent doesn’t not pay school fees because they don’t want to; they usually genuinely cannot pay. Parents go into debt for education because it’s a priority.”
His advice for families: Come to the table:
“Talk to the school and settle.”
Legal action against defaulting parents is not unheard of, however, and it’s happened recently. In August 2025, a Dh125,000 school fee civil case went through Dubai Court. A father (who was in absentia), was ordered to pay the outstanding amount to a Dubai school, plus legal fees and interest, according to a report in the Gulf News. The court heard that the school had tried to recover the fees, which were for two children, and had been accumulating…