MoE forms panel to regulate school fees – ‘Ministry wasted KD 26 mln by distributing tablets’
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KUWAIT CITY, Jan 9: Ministry of Education recently announced the formation of a special committee chaired by the Undersecretary Dr Haitham Al-Athari to regulate school fees in the Arab and foreign private schools.
In a statement, Dr Al- Athari said the committee was formed by the Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr Bader Al-Essa, and it’s due to complete its task by the end of the current month. He added the recommendations of the committee will affect the Arab and foreign private schools countrywide. He urged the private schools to adhere to the designated school fees and avoid increasing the fees without following customary procedures enforced by concerned department in the ministry. He also said the ministry through the concerned legal department will take legal action against any school found violating regulations pertaining to raising the school fees without approval of the ministry.
Al-Athari called on parents and guardians to report to the ministry any school that increases its fees, affi rming that report fi led against any school by a parent will be taken serious and handled with full confi dentiality. He reiterated that concerned department in the ministry issued warning letter to a private school that informed parents and guardians about 19 percent hike in its school fees recently.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education allegedly wasted public money amounting to KD 26 million due to the distribution of tablets to secondary level students in public schools, reports Al- Shahed daily quoting sources. Sources disclosed the ministry signed a contract with a company to rent the tablets for KD 26 million within three years, indicating the units will be returned to the company in case the contract is not renewed. Sources said the students refused to take the tablets as they were asked to sign an agreement to pay fi nes in case the device is damaged. Sources added the tablets were delivered to the ministry without any program; thus, the amount paid for renting the units alone is considered exorbitant. Sources expect the project to cause tension between the minister and a number of MPs who expressed objection to the wastage of public funds, especially since the students have not fully benefi tted from the tablets due to numerous unresolved issues.
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