‘Fake school’ in Sharjah dupes parents with offer of certified education in nominal fees

Mohammed Ibrahim, Staff Reporter
A fake educational institution in Sharjah run by an Arab woman took advantage of the difficult circumstances through which some parents were going and lured them to enroll their children in school which doesn’t exist.
The fake owner of the school claimed that she had special capabilities to open classrooms to teach students according to various ministerial, Sudanese, British, and American curricula.
She also convinced them of her ability to enroll the students even if they did not have identification papers, and then provide them with accredited certificates.
The fake institution took its headquarters in an obscure villa, where it allocated classes for students from kindergarten to the twelfth grade, enticed parents with symbolic fees, and provided students with school buses which did not meet specifications.
Parents who were victims of this fake institution affirmed to Al Khaleej that they had recently come to the UAE, and the institution agreed to receive tuition fees which commensurate with their financial conditions, ranging between Dhs4,000 and Dhs6,000, without transportation.
The owner of the institution allegedly held meetings with parents in a coffee shop in Sharjah, and promoted the institution’s activity through social networking sites.
She refused to meet with Al Khaleej newspaper reporter and refrained from answering questions related to the time they started work, the number of students enrolled, the value of the fees collected, and the reason behind targeting new comers.
Al Khaleej newspaper revealed that the institution was conducting its activity secretly for months.
Parents, “Mohammed Badawi” and “F.A., M.A.” affirmed that they found an initiative launched by a woman on social networking sites (Al Khaleej keeps her name) to teach students displaced to the UAE.
They added the school owner met them in a hall belonging to a bakery in Al Khan area in Sharjah and in a coffee shop, where she affirmed that she was able to enroll children and obtain identification papers in her own way from Al Hiba School in Sudan, which she  claimed to own.
According to parents, the institution received amounts which varied according to the academic stage for the remaining months of the current academic year 2023-2024, in addition to Dhs200 for books for each student, and Dhs500 for school uniform, which did not have the school logo on it.
According to victims, Kindergarten fees at the institution amounted to Dhs3,300 while third grade fees amounted to Dhs4,000, sixth grade to Dhs4,600, and seventh grade to Dhs5,300, in addition to registration fees of Dhs300 for each student, and Dhs800 for books.
After the end of the school year, parents were shocked to find out that there was no registration or school, and consequently no certificates.
Al Khaleej visited the institution to find that it had the name of “Al Raeel for Academic Delay,” which applied multiple curricula.
When asked about the fees, those in charge said that the fees would be announced next August.
Al Khaleej did not have information about the license of the institution, while there was a list of fees hung on the wall, and teaching halls with students, teachers and parents asked about registration and the fees.
There was also a sign with the name of the institution and its activities, and two buses which did not meet the security and safety specifications and standards for transporting students.
Al Khaleej expressed its desire to meet the owner of the institution since June 6, but she apologised in the pretext of her health conditions and her residence in Al Ain city.
So, Al Khaleej reporter had to ask her some questions via WhatsApp about the  institution’s legitimacy, its licences and the initiatives it offers, the reasons for not issuing cash receipts to parents, and the reasons for working secretly.
She admitted that the institution was still being licensed and that she got initial approval. She also pointed out that the school would be ready with the sign on it within the following week, claiming that the school was not known because it was new, affirming that everything was in order.