Manama: Private schools in Saudi Arabia have been warned that they would be shut down if they increased fees without the education ministry’s approval.
Under a new set of rules, the ministry will support the increase only when the school presents a proven record of high scores in the official annual assessment of school qualifications, greater educational achievements and better results in students’ national exams, Saudi Arabic daily Al Eqtisadiya reported on Monday.
The rules, endorsed by the education ministry on Sunday, were drafted after the cabinet last year called for a re-evaluation of the fees charged by private schools.
Schools planning to increase their fees must explain the reasons for their decisions and submit an application before the end of the first semester of the academic year.
The education ministry has up to 45 days to respond, according to the new rules.
A special commission is to be set up at the ministry to look into all requests and assess them, the daily said.
Other factors to be considered by the commission include the number and quality of the school facilities, the size of the classes, the numbers of the teachers and support staff, the student activities, the use of technology, the equipment, the number of workshops and training sessions and safety and security standards.
Under the rules, parents are told about the decision by the commission to accept or reject the application to increase the fees.
Private schools are thriving in Saudi Arabia as public schools are losing their students to better-equipped establishments despite their high fees.
