Court dismisses school's claims over unpaid fees, orders it to issue school leaving certificate to student

The Abu Dhabi Family, Civil, and Administrative Cases Court has ordered a school to issue a school leaving certificate to a student after the school refused to do so, claiming unpaid fees.

The case began when the student’s guardian filed a lawsuit in the Abu Dhabi Simple Commercial Court against the school for withholding the certificate despite full payment of fees.

The court ruled it lacked jurisdiction and referred the case to the Simple Civil Circuit of the Abu Dhabi Court of First Instance.

The school submitted a counterclaim stating the guardian owed Dhs15,800 in outstanding fees. The judge appointed an expert to investigate, and the court reopened the case for further arguments.

The court initially dismissed the lawsuit and ordered the student and guardian to pay court fees. The guardian appealed, requesting the school be compelled to issue the certificate and the Court of Appeal reviewed the case, noting the guardian’s claim that all fees had been paid.

The school asserted the total fees were Dhs35,800, with Dhs15,800 still outstanding.

The Appellate Court ruled in favour of the student, ordering the school to issue the certificate. It emphasised that withholding a student’s certificate due to unpaid fees is unlawful, as it violates the student’s right to education.

The court also ordered the school to bear the appeal costs.