Gulf News

‘ Be careful when signing up for university’

Indian expat Bhatia says reading the fineprint is a must

- DUBAI BY FAISAL MASUDI Senior Reporter

Parents have been urged to read the fine- print when paying registrati­on fees to universiti­es during tuition discount offers as they will be bound by the attached terms and conditions.

A Dubai parent, who wanted to share his experience, said the university where his son had applied declined to refund around Dh3,200 in registrati­on fees even though he lost his job and the family is repatriati­ng to India. Lal Bhatia said his son never enrolled or attended class in the private university, located in Dubai. Bhatia, who was working in sales for 20 years at a retail operator, added that he had been verbally told that hewould get a refund in case he could not follow through with enrolment as a result of losing his job.

Verbal assurance

However, the receipt document of the fees and the acceptance offer letter say the registrati­on fees are non- refundable. Bhatia said the university should have honoured “the verbal assurance” to refund the fees.

“It’s not like we decided to go to a different university. I lost my job in the pandemic- related restructur­ing and we are going back to our home country. I had clearly told the university about my situation, that I’m on forced leave and could lose my job soon. They told me I would get a refund in that case,” he claimed.

Mohammad Darwish, CEO of Permits and Compliance at Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Developmen­t Authority, said: “Students are clearly informed of all fees and financial obligation­s prior to enrolment in a higher education programme. It’s important to understand these obligation­s and work towards honouring financial commitment­s agreed upon.”

 ??  ?? ■ Lal Bhatia
■ Lal Bhatia

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