KUALA LUMPUR – A leading private international school is facing scrutiny following allegations that it imposes a two % daily charge on students for late payment of school fees.
The issue was raised by a parent who described the alleged practice as “unacceptable” and suggested it could be illegal.
“The school charges a two % late fee daily, and this is completely unacceptable. Worse than an Ah long (moneylender)!
“This has to be illegal. Pity parents who are unable to afford their children’s education on time,” he said.
The parent said that in a discussion with the school’s senior accounts and administration executive, he was informed that the two % daily late payment charge is part of the school’s standard operating procedure (SOP).
“However, she did not provide details on when the SOP was implemented or the rationale behind imposing such a charge,” he added.
For illustration purposes, annual fees are around RM30,000 or about RM11,000 per semester. Which means a parent could be paying late fees of up to RM600 a day.
When contacted a school administration and finance department executive said the department was unaware of the allegation.
“As far as we know, we are not aware of this issue and have no information regarding the matter raised by the parent,” she said.
Scoop is seeking clarification from the school’s senior management, failing which the name of the school will be revealed.
The said international school is part of a larger education group of a leading educational institution.
When contacted, a Group spokesman said it is not a practice or policy of the Group at its universities and colleges.
“Charging two % per day for late payment is not something we practise. If students do not make payment by the due date, they may face difficulty accessing the system. This is automatically enforced by the system when fees remain unpaid,” she said.
“If students fail to perform course selection within the stipulated period and later request to do so, we charge a late course selection fee of RM500,” she added.
“We also have provisions for late add and late drop. If students fail to comply within the period set by the university, late add and late drop fees are applied, each at RM500.”
“There have been many cases of late payment at our university, and we must resolve these arrears fairly.”
It is understood that the university has outstanding student arrears of approximately RM600,000.
This raises questions over whether the international school is experiencing a similar situation regarding unpaid fees, and whether the 2% daily penalty is being rolled out in stages, starting with the school.
Scoop has reached out to the Education Ministry and the Association of International Malaysian Schools (AIMS) for comments. — January 13, 2026