(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
Doha: Director of Private Schools Licensing Department at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Hamad Al Ghali, has revealed that by the end of the five-year plan the number of private schools in the country is expected to exceed 500.
'About 200 more private schools will be built as per the plan. At present a total of 337 private KGs and schools are operating in the country which enrolled 200,782 students including 40,650 Qatari students, said Al Ghali while speaking during an Al Rayan TV programme recently.
He said that Private Schools Licensing Department is responsible to make five-year plan to provide schools to meet the demand of seats in the country.
Speaking about the Ministry's strategy to build new private schools, Al Ghali said that Department opens registration for licensing new private schools and KGs in November and December annually offering investors to join the education sector.
'The Ministry also provided plot of land as per the need of the community for schools. For example, based on an assessment report in 2018, the Ministry granted 11 plots of land for building new schools. The tenders were floated as per the need of the curricula. Four plots of land in Al Wakra were allocated for Indian, Egyptian and National curricula and in Al Khor for Indian and British curricula, said Al Ghali.
Director of Private Schools Licensing Department at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Hamad Al Ghali, said that the plots of lands for new schools are distributed as per the need of the areas.
'Sometimes the Ministry of Education and Higher Education assessed need of seats for students of certain expatriate community so we prepared five year plan to open the schools in coordination with the investors, said Al Ghali.
Regarding the preparation of Ministry to meet the need of school seats during the giant sport events — FIFA World Cup 2022 and Asian Game 2030, Al Ghali said: 'Earlier the registration was closed in January 30 but now it is open any new comer student can get enrolled as per their specialisation. Moreover, we have 30 curricula at present licensed by the Ministry including Turkish, Japanese German, French, British and other all types to cover people from all over the world.
To a question about the complaints by parents of fee hikes, Al Ghali said that the school which increased the fees once after taking prior approval from the Ministry of Education and Higher Education is not entitled to make any fee increment during coming three years.
'Even if it applied for fees increase, the application will be rejected. The requests for fee hike should be submitted with the documents to justify that the school is in loss. In case of loss, the committee concerned will study the request, he added.
He said that 7 or 10 percent fees hike is higher for parents so in case of increment at that level it is being divided into two years at the rate of 5 percent for each year.
'In such cases, parents complained considering it annual increment, however the fees allowed to increase one time but divided into two academic years to reduce the burden of guardians and parents, he added.
He said that parents are being informed about fee increase before March 1 giving enough time to parents to take decision to move their children in a suitable school.
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