School sues a guardian for failing to pay Dhs87,000 tuition fees of his children in Abu Dhabi

The Abu Dhabi Family, Civil and Administrative Cases Court ruled that a guardian must pay Dhs82,000 and an additional Dhs2,000 in fines to the school where his children were enrolled. The school had previously provided education for his son and daughter, but he did not fulfil his financial obligations, the court heard.

In particular, an educational establishment initiated legal proceedings against a legal guardian, seeking a court order to mandate the payment of Dhs87,000, along with interest at a rate of 9% per annum, calculated from the date of initiation of legal proceedings until full payment. This directive is to be implemented without delay or restriction. Furthermore, the court ruled that the guardian should be held liable for the legal fees and expenses incurred.

The school initiated legal proceedings on the basis that the guardian had enrolled his son and daughter to study there in exchange for the prescribed fees according to the academic level of each of them. The fees due and outstanding from the guardian amounted to Dhs41,491 for his daughter and Dhs40,508 for his son, for a total value of Dhs82. This is the remaining amount after deducting the sum that was partially paid by the guardian. The guardian was asked to settle the outstanding balance amicably, but did not do so. The guardian's failure to pay on time resulted in the request for compensation, which is calculated at Dhs5,000. The total claim thus amounts to Dhs87,000.

The guardian's error resulted in material damage to the school. In consideration of the aforementioned, the court possesses discretionary authority to ascertain the compensation due to the educational institution at Dhs2,000, in recognition of the material damages sustained.