Private education is proving to be a drain on the monthly budget of many families. Most of the private schools in the Kingdom have exorbitantly increased their registration and tuition fees as well as miscellaneous and transportation charges, claim parents. The Ministry of Education is responsible only for licensing and monitoring the educational standard. Private schools are the responsibility of the region's chamber of commerce and industries, says Mohammad Al-Dakhaini, spokesman of the Ministry of Education. An official at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry justified the increase in the fees and other charges on maintenance of school buildings and increase in the salaries of teachers. Saudi Arabia has more than 1,200 private schools for boys and over 1,800 for girls. __
