The verdict in three sentences
A private school group in Dubai with 1,800 students and 12% overdue fees is sitting, at average fees of 50,000 AED a year, on more than 10 million AED of receivables. Off-the-shelf school management systems cost 75 to 220 AED per student per year, and a custom platform from a Dubai software house is quoted at 150,000 to 400,000 AED; Kolonell builds the same platform with a parent portal and automated reminders for 4 to 7 million FCFA (6,100 to 10,670 EUR, about 26,000 to 45,000 AED). A realistic goal is to bring overdue fees below 6%, as a 2026 order of magnitude.
Why overdue fees resist current tools
In many Dubai private schools, fees are managed across the student information system (grades, attendance), a finance spreadsheet and the bank portal. Parents pay by card, transfer or post-dated cheque, often in termly instalments, with sibling discounts and internal bursaries. KHDA-approved fee frameworks also cap increases and require transparent fee schedules. The finance office rarely knows in real time who owes what, and reminders go out late.
| Observed issue | Estimated impact | Feature that fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| Instalment plans in Excel | 2 to 3 days a month of reconciliation | Per-family schedule calculated automatically |
| Manual sibling discounts and bursaries | Errors on 3 to 5% of invoices | Configured discount rules |
| Reminders by phone | One reminder per family every 2 months | SMS, email and WhatsApp reminders at day 5, 15, 30 |
| Card payment only at reception | Queues at term start | Online card payment from the parent portal |
| No group-level view | Late management decisions | Overdue dashboard by campus, grade, class |
| Paper admissions | 15 to 20 minutes of entry per file | Online application with document upload |
Off-the-shelf or custom: 2026 costs
The figures below are UAE market estimates, except the last row, which follows Kolonell's price grid.
| Option | Upfront cost | Annual cost for 1,800 students | Timeline | Main limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| School management SaaS | 15,000 to 40,000 AED setup | 135,000 to 400,000 AED | 1 to 3 months | Finance module often basic |
| International education ERP | 250,000 to 500,000 AED | 15 to 20% of upfront | 6 to 9 months | Heavy, costly to adapt |
| Dubai software house, custom | 150,000 to 400,000 AED | 2,500 to 4,000 AED per day support | 5 to 9 months | High budget |
| Spreadsheets and bank portal | Almost zero | One finance FTE | Immediate | Overdue fees unmanaged |
| Kolonell custom build | 4 to 7 M FCFA (6,100 to 10,670 EUR, about 26,000 to 45,000 AED) | Maintenance 75,000 FCFA (114 EUR) a month | 3 to 4 months | Needs careful scoping |
Kolonell's lower range covers online admissions, per-family schedules, automated reminders and the dashboard. The upper range adds online payment through a UAE payment gateway, a PWA parent app, multi-campus management and a connector to your existing SIS. Student and parent data must be handled under the UAE Personal Data Protection Law, with hosting in the UAE or a jurisdiction your legal team approves.
Scope it right before asking for quotes
Three decisions drive the budget: replace or keep your current SIS, include online payment or not, and manage one campus or several. For an 1,800-student group, the most cost-effective route is usually to keep the academic system and build a finance and parent platform around it, synced nightly. Ideal timing: scope in February, build from March to May, admissions and the September start on the new platform.
Mini case study
Illustrative example: Ms Haddad, principal of a two-campus private school group in Dubai, 1,800 students, average fees of 50,000 AED a year.
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- Annual fee revenue: 1,800 x 50,000 AED = 90 million AED.
- Current overdue at 12%: 10.8 million AED.
- Assumption: reminders and online payment cut overdue fees to 6%, freeing 5.4 million AED of cash a year.
- Investment: about 40,000 AED development plus about 5,800 AED a year maintenance. Repaid within the first term.
FAQ
Can we keep our current SIS?
Yes, the platform syncs with it through exports or an API. That connector typically represents 4,000 to 8,000 AED of the budget.
Can parents pay online by card?
Yes, through a UAE payment gateway. Card fees usually range from 2 to 3% per transaction, depending on your acquiring bank.
What about KHDA and data protection?
The platform displays approved fee schedules and keeps a full history of fee changes for KHDA inspections. Hosting and processing follow the UAE PDPL; we provide the technical documentation your DPO needs.
How long until the platform is live?
Allow 3 to 4 months. A first release (schedules and reminders) can run after 8 weeks.
Who owns the software?
The school owns the code and data. Maintenance is optional, from 35,000 to 120,000 FCFA (53 to 183 EUR) a month.
Let's scope your project. Send us your student numbers, campuses and current payment methods, and we will price your platform between 6,100 and 10,670 EUR, live before the new school year. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
