Okaz/Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — It is mandatory on the part of private schools in Saudi Arabia to fix their tuition fee one year in advance, and it is not permitted to make any hike in fees during the academic year. These provisions are included in the regulations governing tuition fees in private schools, approved by Minister of Education Yousef Al-Benyan, Okaz/Saudi Gazette has learned.

According to the regulations, private schools must register details such as the amount of tuition fees, the date when the new fee comes into force, and any changes made in the fee, through the ministry’s private education portal on the electronic link of the Tuition Fee Program (http://fef.moe.gov.sa

Schools shall determine the tuition fees and register them on the portal one year before the start of the academic year, and any amendment to the fees after that period will not be allowed.

The Ministry of Education will publish a list of tuition fees for schools on its website, and it will be the reference in the event of any dispute with regard to the amount of tuition fee. Punitive measures will be taken against schools that fail to adhere to these regulations in accordance with the provisions contained in the regulations governing tuition fees in private schools issued by an earlier Cabinet decision.

According to the regulations, a committee shall be formed in the ministry by a decision of the minister with the task of reviewing the regulations governing tuition fees for schools. The duties of the committee include reviewing the level of compliance of private schools with regard to registration of their tuition fees and changes made in it. The committee will review the level of compliance of private schools with regard to notifying parents about changes in tuition fees at least one year before the start of the academic year.

The committee will review these regulations every two years and will make necessary changes pursuant to the public interest. The committee shall submit an annual report to the minister including the size of the annual change in the level of tuition fees, the justifications for the changes made in the tuition fee, the committee’s recommendations, and the proposed remedies for any potential issues.

The committee shall hold its meetings in the presence of the majority of its members, and its decisions will be taken by the majority of the votes of the members present, and when the votes are equal, the decision will be in favor of the side with which the chairman of the committee voted.