For the past many years, one of the biggest concerns of parents with school-going kids in Qatar has been the issue of frequent fee increases by schools.

While schools regularly increase fees, parents complain that the quality of education their children receive has remained constant.

But now, Qatar’s Education Ministry seems to have woken up to the problem and has put in place some strict criteria for schools to increase their fees in the future.

Among the criteria, the most notable is the development of school buildings, playgrounds and laboratories, reported The Peninsula.

“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 provided to teachers,” said Hamad Al Ghali, Director of Private Schools Licensing Department at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education.  

He stressed that the administration could evaluate the difference between real and fake financial deficit.

“Accordingly, we rejected 98 applications from private schools who demanded an increase in fees, pointing out that any school which was making a profit and applied for an increase in fees got its request rejected,” he said, during a question and answer session with Qatar Radio recently.

He said the Ministry had received 57 new applications for licenses to operate private schools during the 2019-20 academic year.

“From among these applicants, we’ve conducted visits to seven schools including for boys, girls and those that adopt the national curriculum standards,” Al Ghali said.

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

“The tuition fees are subject to the ministerial decision that stipulates they are paid at the beginning of each semester and that it’s the right of the school. But it’s also illegal to prevent a student from attending classes because of delay in payment of fees. Depriving students of education is unacceptable,” he concluded.

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