In response to the decision calling for raising the salaries of Saudi teachers in the private sector, many private schools in Makkah recently sent parents letters and SMS messages notifying them of a 30 percent hike in tuition fees for the next academic year.

Average tuition fees for elementary students are SR6,000, SR9,000 for intermediate students and SR12,000 for high school students. Many parents said they cannot afford to pay such hefty fees and have accused private schools of cashing in on the increased enrollment most private schools have witnessed in recent years.

They called upon the Ministry of Education to set a ceiling for tuition fees and to take the financial status of families into consideration. Some parents described private school owners as greedy and opportunists who are using Saudization as a pretext to raise tuition fees.

Noting that schools increase their tuition fees every year, Muhammad Hassan whose daughter goes to a private school, asked why they keep raising fees when they haven't introduced any new services, educational or otherwise, to students that commensurate with the high fees they charge.

"I just don't get it. All this increase is to cover the salaries of teachers! I don't buy it. There's a lot more to it than that," said Hassan.

Hiba Ahmadi and Nawal Muhammad, mothers of two girls who attend private schools, said they have seriously started thinking about transferring their daughters to public schools, which don't offer the same quality of education but are free.

"If public schools offered good educational environments, parents would not even think about enrolling their sons and daughters in private schools. Some private elementary schools charge SR24,000 for all six grades excluding the SR3,000 registration fees. This is unacceptable," said one parent.

Majdi Bokhari, who has three sons attending private schools, said there needs to be a regulatory body that monitors private school fees. "Education is not a business commodity; it's the second important thing next to health. There should be a committee in charge of private schools."

The owner of a private girls' school, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said she raised tuition fees because she has several foreign teachers on the payroll and has to meet the strict safety requirements of the Civil Defense Directorate. The increase of Saudi teachers' salaries was another reason that forced her to increase fees, she added.

Amal Redwan, former director of private education in Jeddah, attributed the increase in tuition fees to the fact that private schools provide interactive education environments and small classes.

Malik Talib, chairman of private schools committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told Al-Watan daily that tuition fees should commensurate with the type of services provided to students. He called on parents to ask schools why they raise their tuition fees and hopes that an agency is set up to monitor the performance and educational services of private schools.

Awatif Al-Harthy, director of private and foreign education, justified the skyrocketing tuition fees by saying it is due to inflation which increased the operational costs of private schools.

“The Ministry of Education is responsible for technical and administrative aspects of private schools. It's not its job to interfere in matters related to putting a ceiling on tuition fees. The ministry regards private schools as partners in the development process. It urges them to decrease tuition fees to attract more students," she said.

Dr. Haya Al-Awad, undersecretary at the Ministry of Education, said the ministry started implanting a plan which categorizes private schools in the Kingdom.

"The classification will be announced soon. It’s based on the level of performance and quality of services. Tuition fees will be linked to services provided to students based on the category of a private school."