Strict criteria in place to allow fee hike in private schools

The Ministry of Education and Higher Education has stressed that there are some strict conditions that specify the increase of tuition fees for private schools, most notably the development of the school building, playgrounds and laboratories.

“All schools and kindergartens benefit exemption from electricity and water charges by the State but schools also have obligations in terms of building rents, salaries of teachers and other staff, and accommodation provision to teachers,” said Hamad Al Ghali, Director of Private Schools Licensing Department at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education.  

Speaking to Qatar Radio recently, he also said that the Ministry had received 57 new applications for license to operate private schools during the academic year 2019-2020.

“We have conduced visits to seven schools from these applicants including schools for boys, schools for girls and schools that adopt the national curriculum standards,” Al Ghali added.

He explained that there are clear conditions for working staff - academic or non-academic - for private schools where there is a requirement of 10-year experience for the director of the school and a teacher must hold a bachelor’s degree with some specialization.   

He stressed that the administration can evaluate a difference between real and fake financial deficit. “Accordingly, we  rejected 98 applications for private schools demanded an increase in fees, pointing out that any school which was making profit and applied for an increase in fees got its request rejected.”

Responding to a question about the delay in paying fees by some students, he said: “We are keen on the interest of  students and a student can not stop attending classes or leave school because of delay in paying fees.”

He added: “The tuition fees are subject to the ministerial decision that stipulates tuition fees are paid at the beginning of each semester and that it is the right of the school.”

“It is also prohibited to prevent a student from attending the class because of delay in payment of fees because depriving students from education is unacceptable,” he said.