Parents up in arms over exorbitant school fees

The Education Ministry will not allow unjustified fee hikes by schools, said Abdullah Al-Thaqafi, the director of education in Jeddah.
Al-Thaqafi urged the ministry to carry out punitive measures against schools that charge excessive tuition fees. He explained that the ministry allowed schools to increase fees by 20 percent considering their growing expenditures, but that the ministry will place a cap on fee hikes to protect the interests of parents.
“Schools are allowed to increase fees only after fulfilling certain conditions. There are many private schools that have not received approval for raising their fees,” Al-Thaqafi said.
S. M. Naushad, group manager of the Peevees Group of Schools, said the ministry was allowing international private schools to increase their fee structure by up to 95 percent considering their infrastructure and academic programs.
Fee hikes at private schools have prompted many Saudis to seek admission in government schools for their children. Public school officials said they are facing an unprecedented rush of students seeking admission, which they had not faced in previous years. “We had to reject many applications due to a lack of seats,” said one official.
Khaled Al-Qudaib, a member of the International Schools Committee at the Council of Saudi Chambers, said many Saudi students had left private schools during this academic year, especially because of the high tuition costs. Abdul Rahman bin Saleh, a public school teacher, said he has seen an unprecedented rush for admission at his school for the first time, adding that 30 percent of students are still on the waiting list.
Arabic international schools have said that fee hikes had decreased their new admissions by 70 percent compared to previous years.
Dakhilallah Al-Seraisry, vice chairman of the private and international schools committee at Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the ministry allowed schools to increase fees as a result of growing expenses.
Yet the imposition of a SR2,400 expat levy, the increase in the salary of Saudi teachers to SR5,600 and rise in building rents has put extra financial burdens on private schools.
Abdul Aziz Hanafi, a member of the JCCI committee, urged parents who oppose the rise in school fees to be realistic and not to ignore the increase in school expenditures.
Naeem Al-Kenaidry, a Saudi parent, said the fee hike could not be justified because there was no change in school infrastructure and academic programs. “Most schools are making profit and some of them receive government assistance at the rate of SR3 million annually, so the ministry should stand by citizens instead of supporting schools to hike fees.”
The ministry has urged the government to increase its financial support of SR70 million to private schools, which accommodate more than 500,000 students. Schools have to obtain 350 points to qualify for government aid.