Holding Fee in Schools-Is it usual in Qatar?

I received a letter from my child’s school yesterday requesting us to confirm whether we are still intending to enrol our child for the 2009/2010 academic year for them to be able to plan effectively. If so, they are requesting us to pay a non-refundable holding fee of QR10,000 that will be credited to the first term fees of 2009/2010. This will be due on the 1st of March 2009 which is actually about 6 months prior to the start of the next school year. I really think that this is unreasonable (The 3rd term of this year hasn’t started yet).

I have no problem confirming our intentions. It is actually a good idea to plan ahead. However, I still haven’t bought the idea of paying a non-refundable fee of QR 10,000 six months in advance especially now that the world is under a period of uncertainty with the current global financial crisis (QR 500-1000 is still acceptable.

Plus, they haven't published the fees for the next school year. How can we make an informed decision? What if they increased it by so much (it is already expensive as it is) that most parents can't already afford it? Parents, especially those who are not getting any educational assistance from their employers, will have no choice but to send their children to other schools and forego the non-refundable holding fee.

Is this common among all schools here in Qatar?

In fairness, the school is very good and i really intend to enrol my child there next year.