Hassan Al-Najrani Okaz/Saudi Gazette MANCHESTER — Low monthly stipends, high daycare rates, high rent and taxes are just some of the main problems Saudi students studying in the United Kingdom face. They told an Okaz/Saudi Gazette discussion group in Manchester recently that another obstacle is the lack of schools for Saudi children. Abdul Mohsin Asiri is a postgraduate student at Manchester University. He pays 875 pounds a month for a daycare center to look after his two children and 800 pounds a month on rent. He and his wife get a monthly stipend of 2,300 pounds, barely enough to get them through the month. Hani Ozbek, a PhD student at the same university, agrees that high daycare expenses are one of the main obstacles married students face in the United Kingdom. He and his wife pay 900 pounds a month for daycare and 300 pounds for their son's school tuition. Saudi students in the United Kingdom also encounter problems when it comes to their children's education. There is only one Saudi school in the United Kingdom and it is located in London. This means that students who go to college in other cities will have to enroll their children in other schools and pay high tuition fees. The students have urged Saudi authorities to set up Saudi schools in other cities either free of charge or for reasonable fees. Some students cannot enroll their children in school because they have not reached the enrollment age, which is five. All students at the discussion agreed that rent levels in the United Kingdom are exorbitant and on the increase. Faisal Al-Bishr studies finance management at the University of Salford, Manchester. He said rent for an apartment in the city could reach up to 1,000 pounds a month. In 2008, it cost 750 pounds, Al-Bishr added. He said some real estate property offices refuse to rent property out to Saudi students because they know that the monthly stipend of 1,168 pounds each student gets cannot cover rent and other living expenses. A room can cost 500 pounds a month. To rent a room or an apartment, a student has two options — either to pay six months' rent in advance or, if he wants to pay monthly, he has to obtain a British sponsor who will vouch for him. Abdul Kareem Al-Tuwaijri, who goes to the University of Salford, said half of the monthly stipend goes on rent and the other half on utility bills and living expenses. Muhammad Baqadir, a PhD student, said married students end up paying more for rent because they have to find proper accommodation near their university. Moreover, transportation tax increased by 18 percent in 2009 and 2010 and bus fares jumped to 160 pounds from 80 pounds over the last year. The students who attended the discussion recommended a review of the monthly stipends and said married couples with children should be given financial aid for their children's education. They said authorities should take into consideration the increase in living costs in the United Kingdom when they set the monthly stipend.
