This archive report was first published on 9 May 2020.
Published on May 9, 2020, a section of parents at Brookhouse International School reaffirmed their plans to distance themselves from the Brookhouse Parents Association (BPA) following a court order to lower school fees by half.
On April 30, the High Court issued an injunction ordering the school to reduce fees by 50% pending the hearing and determination of the matter. The court also suspended learning for Early Years to Year 4, affecting 313 pupils.
Brookhouse International School expressed regret over the leak of a meeting between the institution and BPA, which it claimed compromised the integrity of negotiations. The school maintained that it had not developed a hardline stance, as reported in leaked minutes.
Nadim Nousi, Chairperson of the Imperial Education Group, the consortium that owns Brookhouse, told parents that the school would not lower its demands after their protest. This led to the formation of two camps of parents, with one group represented by BPA and the other distancing itself from the association.
The second group of parents has applied to join the suit in support of the school, seeking an alternative opinion on the level of school fees levied by the institution. They want learning to resume at the earliest opportunity and for the school to have sufficient resources to make it happen.
Brookhouse International School maintains that the High Court injunction has made it impossible to maintain infrastructure and pay staff their full salaries as previously envisaged. The school has undertaken measures to cut costs, including deducting transport and meal costs from invoices and revising discounts for certain year groups.
Brookhouse also stated that it will fight the suit when court resumes on May 13, citing constitutional issues including the right to a fair hearing, equality before the law, and the right to education.
