Parents' big back to school stress: Paying tuition fees and expenses

Dubai, 1 September 2014: With the summer holidays now over, back to school anxiety will be heightened in family homes across the UAE. Whether it’s stocking up on supplies, buying in new uniforms or preparing children for a stricter daily routine, family life will be in a state of upheaval.

But what stresses parents out the most, during the frenzy of starting a new academic year, is paying the school fees. Almost 40 percent of respondents in a new Back to School study say that paying for tuition is their biggest worry ahead of the school season.

The survey of more than 700 residents and UAE nationals was commissioned by from Souqalmal.com, the region’s leading price comparison website, and leading Arabic women’s lifestyle site Layalina.com.

This remains the single most concerning factor for parents, irrespective of nationality, income level or the number of children they have.

The second biggest stressor is also cost-related; paying additional expenses beyond tuition is a worry for a quarter of those polled. However, getting back into a routine is the third concern rattling parents ahead of the new academic year.

Those on higher incomes have slightly different worries, with those earning over AED 30,000 a month placing the new routine as their second biggest concern over the added extra school expenses.

While just over half of those polled give their children less than AED 100 a month, a quarter are more generous, dishing out up to AED 300 a month.

However, UAE nationals are the most generous, with almost a third giving their children over AED 1,000, compared to 58 percent of expat Asians who give their children less than AED 100 a month.

Ambareen Musa, Founder and CEO of Souqalmal.com, said: “We polled over 700 parents to find out how the back to school process affects households and it was no surprise that the financial headache of paying the school fees came out on top.

“School fees in the UAE range anywhere from AED 2,500 to 100,000, making it a sizeable chunk of your income. But the fact that so many parents also feel stressed about paying for all the added extras shows that education comes with a financial burden many of us underestimate.”