Saudi- Private schools trick parents into paying more
(MENAFN- Arab News) JEDDAH: Private schools have been devising new ways to raise money from parents to circumvent the Education Ministry's cap on fee increases a local publication reported here recently.
Schools now charge for services that do not require the ministry's approval including SR500 to SR1000 for opening a new file for a student up to SR2000 for school uniforms SR3000 to SR4000 for transport depending on the distance and SR1100 to SR2500 for books.
Sameer Al-Hakeem manager of foreign education at the Jeddah Education Department said these additional costs are up to 50 percent of the stipulated fees. Some schools announce that their fees are SR10000 and then charge an extra SR5000 for these additional items without ministry oversight he said.
Malik Ghazi Taleb chairman of the private and international school committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) said that schools should not charge for transport.
'Parents have a choice in this regard and can choose not to send their children in the school bus.' The problem is the fees for opening new files which the ministry is now asking schools to declare as part of the basic fee he said.
He said parents could avoid the high cost of private school tuition by placing their children in public schools. Many private schools have raised their fees because of additional insurance costs for the family members of teachers which on average amounts to SR10000.
However Taleb warned that schools failing to comply with the ministry's regulations could face several penalties including not increasing fees for several years or have their licenses suspended or revoked.
He said the JCCI committee does not have any regulatory powers but can assist to mediate any conflict that may arise between parents and schools.
Schools now charge for services that do not require the ministry's approval including SR500 to SR1000 for opening a new file for a student up to SR2000 for school uniforms SR3000 to SR4000 for transport depending on the distance and SR1100 to SR2500 for books.
Sameer Al-Hakeem manager of foreign education at the Jeddah Education Department said these additional costs are up to 50 percent of the stipulated fees. Some schools announce that their fees are SR10000 and then charge an extra SR5000 for these additional items without ministry oversight he said.
Malik Ghazi Taleb chairman of the private and international school committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) said that schools should not charge for transport.
'Parents have a choice in this regard and can choose not to send their children in the school bus.' The problem is the fees for opening new files which the ministry is now asking schools to declare as part of the basic fee he said.
He said parents could avoid the high cost of private school tuition by placing their children in public schools. Many private schools have raised their fees because of additional insurance costs for the family members of teachers which on average amounts to SR10000.
However Taleb warned that schools failing to comply with the ministry's regulations could face several penalties including not increasing fees for several years or have their licenses suspended or revoked.
He said the JCCI committee does not have any regulatory powers but can assist to mediate any conflict that may arise between parents and schools.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Comments
No comment