UAE Indian school tells teachers they may not be paid this month

GEMS Education said it is trying to resolve a dispute with the school's landlord

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - JANUARY 31, 2019.

A boy jumps off a bus that's dropping him and his classmates to Abu Dhabi Science Festival at the corniche in Abu Dhabi.

The event focuses on STEAM subjects (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics). Around 200 innovators are displaying their projects at the three host venues over 10 days.

(Photo by Reem Mohammed/The National)

Reporter: GILLIAN DUNCAN
Section:  NA
Powered by automated translation

A private school in Fujairah has told teachers that they may not be paid this month due to a legal dispute with the school’s landlord.

GEMS Our Own English High School has been involved in the row for more than a year but teachers have been paid as usual until now.

The school, which closes this week for the summer holidays, follows the the CBSE curriculum and has about 170 staff and more than 3,000 pupils.

The dispute has led to the "freezing of the school's bank accounts and the prohibition of access to the cash room", according to Arabian Business, quoting from a letter sent to teachers.

"We can confirm there is an ongoing legal dispute with the landlord of the school since March 2018," a spokesman for GEMS Education told The National.

“Unfortunately, actions by the landlord have resulted in many administrative disruption at the school, including the prohibition of access to funds. Despite this, we have paid staff salaries for June as usual.

“We are working vigorously to try to resolve the dispute with the landlord through legal and other avenues so that we can resume normal operations."

It is not known who the landlord of the school, which was built in 1988, is and GEMS declined to identify them.

“As the matter is sub judice we cannot comment any further at this time," the statement added.