For most Dubai parents asking this question about the recent period of distance learning, the short answer is no. Under KHDA's April 2026 Registration and Refund Policy for all Dubai Private Schools, tuition fees remain payable in full during periods of approved distance learning, even where children did not take part in the online sessions. The policy sets out tuition refund rules for two situations: a school closure where no teaching is delivered, and a parent-initiated withdrawal. An approved distance learning period is not one of them.
The policy document, dated April 2026, applies to every KHDA-licensed school in the emirate and takes on immediate relevance this month, as in-person classes resumed on April 20 following several weeks of remote learning.
The Rule, in Plain Language
KHDA's position is set out clearly. In the policy's Service Continuity and Fee Obligations section, under a subheading that covers government-enforced closure, the regulator writes:
"Tuition fees remain payable for any period during which the service was available and delivered, including when the service is delivered through distance learning or any other alternative method deemed appropriate and approved by KHDA."
Teaching delivered remotely counts as delivered teaching for fee purposes. If the school has continued running lessons, whether in person or online, fees are due. That applies regardless of whether a family chose to take part in the online programme:
"A parent's decision not to engage with the available distance learning programme does not constitute grounds for withholding or reducing tuition fees."
When Fees Are No Longer Payable
There is one clear trigger for a closure-based refund, and the policy defines it precisely:
"Tuition fees are payable to the school for each day that the service was available and delivered. From the day the school is unable to deliver its service, tuition fees are no longer payable."
In practice, this means a refund under the closure rule is only available where a school could not deliver any form of teaching, whether in person or remotely. Schools that ran an approved distance learning programme during the recent closure will therefore not owe refunds on this basis.
The Three Permitted Forms of Refund (Closure Scenarios)
When a school has been unable to deliver any teaching and a refund is owed for that period, KHDA sets out three acceptable forms. The parent and the school must agree in writing which one applies:
Credit note. A formal credit against future tuition, provided the child stays enrolled when services resume. If the child does not return, the held amount must be refunded to the parent.
Transfer of credit. Where the family has a second child at the same school, or plans to enrol one, the eligible amount can be transferred to that sibling's tuition account.
Full refund. The held amount is returned to the parent in cash, covering the period for which the service could not be delivered.
If a school proposes anything outside these three options, parents are welcome to ask the school to point to the clause in the parent-school contract that authorises the alternative, and to escalate through the dispute channel described below if the answer is unsatisfactory.
These three forms apply specifically to the closure scenario above. KHDA sets out a separate refund mechanism for parents who choose to formally withdraw their child from a school, which uses a term-by-term deduction schedule rather than the three-form framework. A worked example of that withdrawal scenario follows below.
A Worked Withdrawal Refund Example
To show how the withdrawal refund schedule works in numbers, consider a family paying annual tuition of AED 60,000 at a KHDA-licensed Dubai school in ten equal monthly instalments of AED 6,000, following the monthly-instalment option set out in the policy.
Suppose the parent has paid four months of tuition (AED 24,000), the child has been on the school register for three weeks of the current term, and the parent then submits a formal withdrawal request. KHDA's deduction schedule applies as follows:
Enrolled for two weeks or less: one month's fees deducted.
Enrolled for between two weeks and one month: two months' fees deducted.
Enrolled for more than one month: the full term's fees deducted.
Three weeks of enrolment falls into the middle band. With the school charging AED 6,000 per month, two months' fees equal AED 12,000. The refund to the family is therefore AED 24,000 minus AED 12,000, or AED 12,000, rather than a pro-rata calculation based on the three weeks attended.
Where a school instead charges in three term-based instalments (40 per cent, 30 per cent, and 30 per cent of the annual fee), the policy does not explicitly define how "a month's fees" should be calculated. Parents in that situation are encouraged to confirm the calculation method directly with their school before expecting a specific refund figure.
Two important points to keep in mind: the calculation runs from the withdrawal date recorded on the Withdrawal Certificate, not from the last day the child physically attended, and a student's absence alone does not trigger any of this. Until a formal withdrawal request is submitted, the child is considered actively enrolled, and fees continue to accrue.
Absence Is Not Withdrawal
This is the point most commonly overlooked in parent conversations about fees. The policy is explicit:
"A student's absence from school does not constitute withdrawal or trigger a refund. Being listed on the school's register is considered active enrolment, regardless of attendance."
Families intending to leave should submit a written withdrawal request as early as their plans are settled. Every week that passes between the decision to leave and the formal request is another week on the school's register, and potentially another week of deductible fees.
If You Have Concerns About the Quality of Teaching
Parents who have concerns about the quality of remote teaching should raise them through the proper channel, rather than by withholding payment. KHDA sets out the process clearly:
"Any concerns regarding the quality or delivery of distance learning should be raised through the school's internal complaints process. Fees remain payable in full during the resolution of any such complaint."
Two practical points follow. First, complaints are raised through the school's own internal process before KHDA will consider them, which places the initial responsibility on the school to address the issue directly. Second, fees remain payable while a complaint is being reviewed, which makes careful documentation especially valuable. Parents who keep detailed records throughout the process put themselves in the strongest position for any later escalation.
How to Escalate a Dispute to KHDA
Where a disagreement cannot be resolved with the school directly, the policy sets out a formal escalation path:
Internal resolution steps must be completed and documented before KHDA will consider the matter.
Once the internal process is exhausted, either the parent or the school may refer the dispute to KHDA through its official channels.
KHDA may request documentary evidence from either or both parties, and schools are required to cooperate fully and provide all requested documentation.
In practical terms, any dispute will depend on what parents can produce in writing. Keep every email, every school circular, every receipt, and every dated complaint form. Because KHDA's review process is documentary, written records carry more weight than verbal exchanges, and parents are encouraged to put key points in writing from the outset.
What About Re-registration Deposits During a Closure?
A closure does not stop a school from collecting re-registration deposits for the following academic year. KHDA's policy is direct on this point: schools retain the right to communicate with parents and collect such deposits through digital or remote channels, even during a period when physical operations are suspended. Deposits collected during a closure remain subject to the standard refund provisions in the policy, which include the rule that a re-registration deposit is refundable only if the parent formally notifies the school of withdrawal at least 60 calendar days before the start of the following academic year.
What to Do This Week
Four practical actions for Dubai parents with a fee or refund question in the current term:
Download the KHDA policy to your phone. The full document is on KHDA's website and is the authoritative source.
Read your parent-school contract alongside the policy. School-specific refund terms, optional services, and timelines are formally recorded there.
If you are considering withdrawal, submit the written request as early as your family has decided. Deductible fees are calculated from the withdrawal date on the certificate, not from the day your child last attended.
Keep everything in writing. This includes emails, letters, parent-app messages, and signed forms. Anything you might want to show KHDA in a review needs to exist as a document.
The full KHDA policy is published on KHDA's website.
