Some private schools said they had increased fees to cover salary increments for Saudi teachers in adherence to a royal decree, which increased their minimum wage to SR5,000 a month, of which half is paid by the government.
There are other reasons for this, however, such as the fact that many families are now switching to private schools because of quality education or government schools are far away from their neighborhoods.
Another reason is because private schools provide transportation, unlike government schools. If the demand for such education continues, then the natural thing to happen is a price increase.
Before I discuss the causes and solution for this problem, I would like to commend the decision to increase the minimum wages of Saudi teachers in private schools.
How can we expect a Saudi teacher to perform at his or her best on a salary lower than SR2,500? Other professions in the private sector that require lower qualifications are paid higher than teachers. Increasing the minimum wage should not be an excuse to increase fees in any way.
The official spokesman of the Education Ministry said that private schools finalize their budgets for the academic year three months before the start of the school year.
The ministry is responsible for only providing permits to private schools. Indeed, it is difficult in an open economy system to fix prices due to many factors such as operational costs and the quality of education and facilities provided. Although we understand the ministry’s stance on this issue, this does not give them an excuse to avoid studying the reasons why prices have increased. They should provide solutions for parents who have no choice but to enroll their children in private schools.
Education authorities should start studying the issue by asking for feedback from the families. There should be a questionnaire circulated among families to help develop a solution for this problem and to examine why some Saudi households are not registering their children with government schools.
It is important to say that investment in private education is important. It reflects positively on society and adds to the quality of teaching that does not exist in the government system. Increasing school fees is a burden on many families, especially those with several children.
The Education Ministry should review the additional cost imposed by some private schools. Some schools charge each student SR1,000 for the graduation ceremony. The school will not hold these graduations for free and the schools are not thinking about the pain and suffering parents have to go to pay these additional fees.
I suggest that the ministry support private schools that provide quality education. Financial support should be provided under the condition that the school does not hike fees.
In conclusion, the ministry may not be responsible for fee hikes, but it should study the reasons behind fees hikes and develop solutions to keep them down.
([email protected])
