Brookhouse School Owner Clashes with Parents Over Full Fees Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Brookhouse School owner, Nadim Nsouli, has issued a firm response to a group of parents who recently filed a lawsuit against the institution, seeking to halt the demand for full school fees during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The parents, represented by senior counsel Ahmednassir Abdullahi, moved to court arguing that the school should not charge full fees while their children are attending online classes. They pointed out the added financial burdens they face, including the cost of electricity, internet, computers, and printing materials, all of which they contend are now falling on them due to the shift to virtual learning.

Brookhouse, a prestigious British-curriculum school offering early years, preparatory, and secondary education, charges fees ranging from Sh150,000 to Sh1.5 million per term for senior students.

In a court ruling last week, the Nairobi court sided with the parents, directing the school to allow them to pay only half of the term three fees until the case is fully heard and determined.

However, Nsouli, a Lebanese-British businessman, expressed his dissatisfaction with the ruling. In a Zoom meeting that surfaced online, he firmly told parents that they must pay the full fees or withdraw their children from the school.

Nsouli, who recently invested $25 million (Sh2.6 billion) to open Brookhouse Runda, made it clear that he would not allow a few disgruntled parents to negatively impact the financial success of his business. He questioned why only Kenyan parents were raising concerns about fees, despite running 64 schools worldwide.

“I have never encountered such behavior from any other schools, or ever in my life,” Nsouli said, expressing his frustration.

He added that he would rather have 40 percent of the school’s population paying full fees than have 100 percent of the students paying reduced fees. He also pointed out that the assumption that schools save money by closing physical classrooms is inaccurate, emphasizing that he has 6,000 employees, including teachers and support staff, who must be compensated for their work.

Nsouli further addressed the issue of the school’s distress fund, which he claimed had not been widely utilized by parents, suggesting that some were too embarrassed to apply for assistance.

“Your demands are unreasonable,” Nsouli declared, “and if you cannot afford to pay for the services of my school, you have options—LEAVE.”

The ongoing dispute highlights the challenges many schools and parents are facing as they navigate the financial implications of the pandemic. The outcome of the case remains pending, and the tensions between Brookhouse and its parent community are unlikely to ease anytime soon.