Filipino Envoy Vows Help in UAE School Fees Case
ABU DHABI: The new Philippine ambassador to the UAE has promised all possible help to hundreds of parents who lost almost Dh2 million in school fees at the former 21st Century Private Academy.
“For us at the embassy, our role is to find a win-win solution here,” Constancio Vingno Jr, who replaced former ambassador Grace Princesa last month, was quoted as saying by The National. “I will try my best to help them, rest assured, I will not leave them hanging. I feel for them. I’m a parent too.”
Vingno reportedly said the school’s operator continuously sent text messages encouraging parents to make early tuition and registration fee payments, despite the fact that the school was facing closure for breaching health and safety standards.
Three weeks before the start of the academic year, the Abu Dhabi Education Council revoked the operator’s licence, forcing 21st Century to close, the report said.
While the school has since reopened under new management and a new name, the Philippine Global School, parents rue that they are yet to receive the refund of payment made to old school, it was pointed out.
Vingno added that he had officially asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for assistance but providing legal help to the parents was not possible.
The ambassador also shared that he visited the Philippine Global School, which absorbed most of the pupils from the 21st Century Private Academy, and said the new operator had made significant improvements to ensure the children’s well-being, said the news portal.
“Now it’s a usable, friendly area, professionally done, so the parents recognized that improvements have been made.”
Meanwhile, AS, who has an eight-year-old daughter, paid about Dh3,000 from the former operator and was forced to repay nearly the same amount in registration, books, uniform and partial tuition at the Philippine Global School, the report said.
She reportedly hoped the matter could be resolved soon.
“Either they return the money to us directly or they return it to the new school and the new school will acknowledge that yes, your daughter is already fully paid,” she was quoted as saying by The National.