Saudi Gazette report JEDDAH — Parents are complaining about the increasing prices of tuition in private schools but the school owners say rising operational expenses are the reason behind the price hike, Al-Riyadh newspaper reported. Mutaz Mugharbil, deputy head of private schools committee at the Madinah Chamber of Commerce Private Education Committee, said any increase or changes in tuition fees must be approved by the Ministry of Education. “If private schools wish to increase their tuition they must apply to the ministry beforehand. The ministry reviews their proposals and decides whether the requests are justifiable or not. Some of the proposals were approved in view of the services the schools offered but many others were rejected,” said Mugharbil. He said the private education sector is witnessing a huge increase in operational expenses. “The ministry has obliged all private schools to pay teachers a minimum wage of SR5,600, which adds to the financial burden of the schools,” said Mugharbil. He said the average annual tuition fees for private primary schools in Madinah is between SR12,000 and SR14,000. “The average annual tuition fees for junior high schools is between SR14,000 and SR16,000. Finally, fees in high schools is between SR16,000 and SR18,000,” said Mugharbil. Jeddah Chamber of Commerce private schools owners committee deputy head Faridah Farsi said the number of students is increasing by the year and the ministry hopes the private sector will help in accommodating them. “The ministry does not have sufficient number of buildings and facilities to accept all students. The ministry hopes the private education sector would grow and more schools would be built. However, operational expenses have increased by 80 percent and the ministry's support is insufficient to meet the expenses,” said Farsi. Farsi said the rents have increased and the ministry only offers SR60 in grant per student, which is far from enough to cover the expenses. “I urge the ministry to study the issue and come up with a practical solution, which will enable both the public and private education sectors to provide top services and learning material to the students,” said Farsi.
