Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr. Saud AlHarbi announced reducing private schools’ academic fees by 25 percent for 2020/2021 period.
In a press statement on Wednesday, Al Harbi called on private schools to commit to online schooling for the start of the 2020/2021 academic year, until students can return to school normally.
The minister tasked undersecretary for private education with issuing rules and regulations in the matter, activate and monitor online studying and hold schools that violate the fee reduction decision responsible, according to article 10/2018.
On his part, Dr. Abdel Mohsen Al-Huwaila, the assistant undersecretary for special and specific education emphasized that the cost of activating distance education in private schools in general is less than the cost of traditional education in several aspects, the most important of which is the decrease in all actual operating expenses related to the budgets of the administrative and educational bodies, especially in light of reducing the numbers of teachers. Basic subjects and a large number of private schools to end teacher services in non-core disciplines (such as physical education, art education, music, etc.).
Al-Huwaila also pointed out the low cost of electricity and water consumption due to the lack of students in schools, the low rate of depreciation of school buildings and their assets, and the cost of maintenance of the school building and its annexes than the usual conditions.
He explained that private schools, according to their classification, not only provide their students with educational services, but also extend their obligations to provide several other services related to sports, social and cultural activities, which the student will be deprived of as a result of receiving educational services via means of distance education only.
Dr. Abdul Mohsen Al-Huwaila stated that the percentage of reducing the academic fees for the academic year 2020/2021 from the period the student receives tele-education services fulfills the requirements of the public interest, and a balance has been achieved between the value of tuition fees owed to students with the services that the student will obtain through the means Distance education, taking into account the quality of educational services and its outputs.
To that, an official source in the Department of Special Education assured that the administration will strictly monitor all private schools that violate what was stated in the minister’s decision, and in the event of irregularities, gradual legal measures will be taken on them immediately and they are clear and known to them as they begin with the warning and end with the withdrawal of the license and the closure of the school.
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