The law, in cooperation with the Human Resources Fund, will come into force in the new Hijra year 1433 (Nov. 26).

According to the ministry, the new contract will ensure the rights of Saudi teachers and increase job opportunities for more than 39,000 Saudi teachers.

The Human Resources Fund will equally share the payment of teachers with private schools during the first five years. Arab News spoke to a number of private school owners who despite this compensation expect big losses.

“The Human Resources Fund will pay 50 percent of teachers’ salaries only for the first five years,” observed Rabiha Attar, owner of Rawdat Al-Sighar private school in Jeddah.

“Some schools will be able to pay the new minimum wage for teachers, but others will not. At my school, I pay teachers with significant experience more than SR5,000; teachers without experience receive SR3,000. We will save money as long as the Human Resources Fund contributes to the wages, but when they stop their participation we will lose a lot,” she said.

There should be a mechanism to distinguish between schools. High-class schools should implement this decision, but not the low-income ones, she added.

According to Attar, schools that lease their buildings will hardly implement this decision due to the steep rent increases every year.

Rashed Al-Shirmbi, owner of Al-Sahel private school, confirmed that the decision would lead to the shutdown of many private schools.

“Some private schools only receive SR6,000 per student. These schools will never be able to pay 50 percent of the SR5,600 salary for their teachers. This decision should only cover high-class schools that take SR20,000 per student,” he said.

“It would be better if the ministry hired the teachers and paid their salaries than sharing the payment with the Human Resources Fund,” Al-Shirmbi added.

Other school owners find the decision the perfect way to save money as long as the Human Resources Fund pays half of their teachers’ salary. “If a school used to pay SR3,000 to their teachers, it would only have to pay SR2,800 now,” said Abdulqader Al-Bakri, owner of Green Hills International School in Jeddah.

He added, “Schools that were paying only SR1,500 will suffer, as they will have to pay almost double for their teachers. Such schools will face financial problems and will not be able to continue, especially when the Human Resources Fund stops paying its share after five years,” he said.

Um Adnan, who preferred not to mention the name of the school she owns, confirmed that the decision would force many private schools to increase their fees.

“Most schools will try to benefit from the decision and ask for dramatic fee raises. Low-class schools that receive SR5,000 per student will not be able to pay 50 percent of the SR5,600 salary," she said.

Um Adnan expressed her worry that experienced teachers who already receive more than SR5,000 would ask for a raise, as they would not accept the same salary as their inexperienced colleagues.

According to Um Adnan, if schools raise their fees, the number of illegal schools that hire teachers with low salaries will go up too. “Many middle-class families will withdraw their children from recognized schools and send them to illegal schools that charge low fees,” she said.