Gems Education system Dubai is in another controversy. The Westminster School, a private British curriculum school in Al Ghusais run by Gems Education, has notified parents that it will charge Dh475 per subject for grades nine and higher, and Dh150 per subject for grade six in exam fees.
One parent feared this meant grade nine students who take eight subjects, for example, will have to pay Dh3,800 on top of their new tuition fees of Dh8,459 – equal to 45 per cent of tuition.
The school management has told Gulf News that all international schools charge fees for board examinations separate to the main fees. At the Westminster School it is a charge of Dh475 per exam, per student, which is far cheaper than those charged by the British Council.
Parents, on the other hand, said that there are no board exams in grades six, nine or 11, adding students take British IGCSE (O Level) exams in grade 10, and GCE exams in grade 12 (AS Level) and grade 13 (A Level).
Previously, Gems Education system was in the news for another such controversy of fleecing parents by raising the tuition fees.