Parents have called on the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE) to defer fees hike in private schools amidst the coronavirus pandemic. Many families across the country have been impacted due to this global epidemic and are facing financial crisis.

The Ministry has announced last month that they will be opening applications from private schools to increase the fees and the parents who are facing a hard time with the ongoing circumstances have reacted to it.

A private school in Doha said that it applied for a fee hike last month through the online portal in Ministry’s website.

As the pressure continues for the parents, it is an arduous situation for them to afford the fees for their children due to the finances that was a result of Covid-19 pandemic.

A Qatari parent Khalifa Al Rumaihi said that he was taken by surprise by the Ministry’s action to increase the fee given the conditions they are facing at the moment and many parents likewise have responded to the decisions taken by MoEHE.

“Since the coronavirus outbreak and the imposition of the preventive measures to limit the spread of the virus, teaching turned into distance education, and parents became responsible for follow-up and guidance of their children at home. Parents played more significant roles in running a smooth distance and blended learning, said Khalifa Al Rumaihi.

“Fees for private schools are already high in Qatar, so instead of taking into account this fact, the Ministry has invited applications for fee hike. Continuous increase in school fees has become an unending problem. The increases in tuition fees for private schools are taking place every three years, and this is making our private education system among the most expensive,” he added.

He requested the Ministry to reconsider the fee hike and to take an appropriate stand for the given period of time and to deduct the fee in private schools 

“I am with the teachers’ right to lead a decent life and to obtain salaries that guarantee them that, but also the Ministry should be a fair mediator that balances the interests of the family and the school. The exceptional situations that we are going through due to the spread of the virus should be taken into account, instead of dealing with the matter as if everything is normal,” said Al Rumaihi.

Another parent, Ibrahim Al Kuwari, said the whole world is in a critical stage with regards to health and finances and these situations have certainly impacted on everyone’s economic well-being.

Al Kuwari, whose children are in private schools, told: “I expected the Ministry of Education and Higher Education to take into account these circumstances and refuse applications for the increment of fees from the private schools this year at least until things return to pre-COVID-19 conditions. Unfortunately, we hear that the Ministry does not only receive applications for increasing fees but has invited the schools to submit their applications to increase fees, without taking into account the parents’ circumstances.”  

Al Kuwari asked why private schools are primed to make a profit while everyone else suffers significant financial strains this period. 

“I appeal to the Ministry not to rush to receive the applications and not to raise the fees, at least this year. The burdens that parents are bearing due to these conditions should be taken into account seriously,” Al Kuwari added. 

Another parent Abu Hamad told that parents still expects the Ministry to deduct the allotted fee due to the existence of Covid-19, which has brought the economy down. Many companies have reduced the salaries and some lost their jobs. Instead, the Ministry invited applications to increase fees which will put an extra burden on parents.He requested the Ministry to revise the decision and close applications for fees increase until normalcy returns. 

“At this difficult time, there is no way to think about increasing the school fees,” said a parent, Sayed Ameen. 

“We live in exceptional circumstances, and schools do not offer anything new which is worth an increase in fees,” she added.

She said that the current blended learning system is a burden more on parents compared to schools.

However, private schools have justified the fee hike describing it as necessary for schools’ survival as they provide quality education.