TAIF — About 95 percent of the private and international schools in the Kingdom have asked the Education Ministry to allow them to increase their tuition fees. According to ministry's sources the schools justified their request for the fees hikes by claiming that they have introduced a number of educational programs and that they have also streamlining the school transport. The ministry has left the option of the students' transport open — either the schools set it up themselves or assign other companies to provide transport. The sources said some schools have asked the ministry to allow them to increase their fees by up to 150 percent. They said the ministry has made it a condition on the schools not to increase fees unless they have introduced new educational programs that can benefit the students. The sources said last year a number of schools agreed to some of the ministry's conditions and refused the others. The ministry has asked all the departments of education in all regions to prepare detailed lists of the fees of the private and international schools so as to prevent any attempt by any school to surreptitiously raise their fees. The ministry asked the private schools wishing to raise their fees to make the requests electronically during a period of 15 days starting May 29, and said branch committees at the departments of education will consider the requests before they are considered by the ministry's main preparatory committee. The ministry warned that it would prevent any fees hikes unless the main committee approves them. It has asked all the owners of the private schools to present their future operational plans before any fees hikes are effected in the future.
