Ministry of Education’s plan to raise facility fees nears approval

• The playground rental fees have been set at KD 150 per square meter annually, with a 25% rise scheduled every five years and a new service will be introduced to utilize vacant spaces within school buildings, calculated according to usage periods.

As part of efforts to rationalize public spending and optimize the use of educational facilities, the Ministry of Education’s plan to raise operating fees for school buildings and services is moving towards approval.

Informed sources told Al Rai newspaper that the Cabinet reviewed a proposal submitted by Education Minister Jalal Al-Tabtabaei to revise the ministry’s service fees. The minister has been tasked with presenting the new regulations on increased operating fees to His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah for final approval.

According to the sources, the ministry’s statement was issued in compliance with Cabinet Resolution No. (517), adopted during meeting No. (2025/16) at the end of last April. The resolution instructed government agencies to coordinate with the Ministry of Finance to review the prices of their services in line with actual costs, with each agency required to submit the results of its review within two months of the resolution’s issuance.

The proposed regulations include amendments to fees for operating school buildings, educational facilities, and indoor playgrounds, as well as sites reserved for the Ministry of Education. Different rates will be applied depending on the type of beneficiary, such as public benefit associations, government agencies, or private schools.

The sources added that the increase in private school tuition fees has been determined based on the type of educational system adopted, along with the introduction of fines for unauthorized use of school buildings and facilities.

The regulations also allow licensees to lease parts of school buildings for activities such as printing, photocopying, cafeterias, and canteens, with the Ministry entitled to 25 percent of the total value of contracts concluded by private schools with specialized companies.

The sources further noted that playground rental fees have been set at KD 150 per square meter annually, with a 25 percent increase scheduled every five years. A new service will also be introduced to utilize vacant spaces within school buildings, calculated according to usage periods, with each time frame assigned a specific price per square meter.

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