Parents up in arms as private schools hike fees

JEDDAH: International and private schools have shocked parents by notifying that they have increased the school fees, after receiving the approval of the Ministry of Education. Some parents, quoted by local publications, said this was too late and that they should have been notified about this at the time of registration so they could look for alternatives. Schools administration confirmed to local media that the late notification of families about fee increases was because of the late approval. Notifying parents came within the official procedures, which included applying on the Ministry of Education’s website. This was later followed by a field visit to the school under the supervision of a specialized committee of educational supervisors to ensure the availability of the requirements to increase the fees. Some schools renovated or refurbished their buildings and provided quality facilities for education and a suitable environment to raise their fees. Nawras Abdul Rahman, principal of an international school, said the approval of applications requires the presence of certain additions, and a number of schools corrected their status in terms of modifying the buildings and improving the quality of their services to obtain the official agreement. She confirmed that the increase was not that high for those who applied late, for it didn’t exceed SR1,000. Parents were told about this increase after the official agreement of the ministry. She said, in return, the school developed part of services and teaching while parents considered the increase as late, because it came after they registered their children. A parent said increasing the fees was late and unfair, and even confusing to some parents. “We didn’t know that increasing the fees will be late and I personally filed a complaint on the ministry’s website. I met with the school principal who tried to offer some facilitation for parents with regard to lowering the price of school uniform, or even giving it for free to avoid any problems with parents,” he added. Private educational directorate in the Eastern Province stated that parents who wish to complain about the increased school fees can file complaints on the ministry’s website. The private education directorate in the ministry confirmed the importance of updating basic data for schools in the Noor Program before entering the e-program for school fees. Schools that gained approval for raising their fees will be prevented from increasing fees for two years.