While seeking permission for a fee hike, private schools base their claim on operational losses and the improvements introduced to their services, a senior government official said yesterday.
Hamad al-Ghali, director of the Private Schools Office at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, explained that these requests, accompanied with financial audit reports verified by a specialised entity, are verified through a special committee.
He was speaking a press conference at the headquarters of the Ministry, on the occasion of the new school year, which begins on September 18.
Any rise in private schools fees should be pre-approved by the Private Schools Office after studying the real need for this based on the financial results of the last three years.
“While parents complain of high and rising fees in private schools, the operators of the institutions maintain that they need to cover their high operational costs, including salaries, rents and other expenses,” HE the Minister of Education and Higher Education, Dr Mohamed Abdul Wahed Ali al-Hammadi said.
“Accordingly, we strive to reach a balance while protecting the interests of both parties,” he said.
Regarding the exclusion of 12 private schools from the educational voucher system, the Minister said these institutions failed to get the necessary academic accreditation even after a grace period of two years.
The schools concerned cannot admit students, according to this system, from the upcoming academic year (2016/2017), while already enrolled students will continue to benefit from the educational vouchers. A group of 75 private schools are still part of the coupon system. 
HE Dr al-Hammadi attributed the low success rate (about 58%, which was 10% less than the previous year) of independent schools at the general secondary schools to the improvement of the examination and assessment system to reflect the real skills of students.
Regarding the preparations for the new school year at independent schools, Omar al-Shahwani, director of the Joint Services Department at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, said that 2,036 highly equipped buses of different sizes are ready to provide transportation for students.
Contracts have been made with 17 suppliers for school canteens to provide quality meals. A supervisor has been appointed for these canteens to ensure the quality of the food items, in co-operation with all the other government entities concerned.