Fatima Muhammad
Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH — Schools are not allowed to withhold report cards of students because of the delayed payment of fees by their parents, according to the Ministry of Education Directorate in Jeddah.
Abdul Majid Al-Ghamdi, spokesman of the Department of Education in Jeddah, told Saudi Gazette on Monday that holding back children’s report cards is an illegal act and school principals are held accountable for the violation.
However, investors in the education sector noted that they have appealed against the decision at the Board of Grievances.
Former head of the private school committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) Muhammad Yusuf admitted that they had been ordered by the Ministry of Education to provide report cards to fee-defaulters as children are not responsible for the action of their parents.
However, the owners of schools have filed an appeal at the Board of Grievances against this decision.
Many parents have complained that schools are holding back mid-term exam report cards of their children without even alerting them about the non-payment of fees.
I used to get an SMS alert from the school a few weeks before the fee was due, but this time no notification was sent. We came to know about the non-payment of fees only when our child was not given his report card, complained a parent.
Fatida Farsi, the principal of Al-Haramain School, said that they provide a service and demand money in return. “Can I just tell my staff that I will not be able to pay them salaries? This is something that parents should understand.”
