RIYADH: Private schooling is often chosen by parents to ensure their children receive a higher quality of education than in government schools.

However, parents and custodians of students have faced frustration lately due to the incompetency of teachers despite constantly hiked school fees, thereby leading them to reconsider the decision of providing their children with private education.

Based on an experience personally encountered by Arab News, numerous private schools in the Kingdom are employing unprofessional teachers, especially in the girls’ sections. Some teachers are in fact housewives with little or no experience in teaching.

Another issue is that most teachers employed at private schools are given the task of teaching subjects that are outside their particular areas of study, leading to a weaker understanding of the subject for the suffering students.

Eman A., a mother of three, said she suffered greatly while searching for a private school for her children. She claimed that many schools were very expensive and lacked qualified staff, who did not interact with the students properly.

A teacher, who preferred to remain anonymous, claimed that most teachers in private schools are accustomed to teaching subjects that are not their specialty. She gave an example where a colleague who is a qualified pharmacist, was now given the task of teaching mathematics.

Nadia K., a mother of two, said that her frustration was not only caused by the high prices of private education, but also by her discovery of the school’s main focus being activities, parties and pictures rather than teaching.

Experts say that while the Ministry of Education is doing its best in monitoring private schools, further efforts are still required to control prices and quality of education at private schools.