The government is to issue coupons to help citizens pay for their children's tuition fees at private schools. The step is in line with the government policy to reduce the pressure on public schools, said Awatif Bin Fahd Al-Harithy, Director General of Private and Foreign Education at the Ministry of Education. Al-Harithy was quoted Friday in a section of the Arabic press as saying that the system will see children of all income groups get access to private school education. She said the ministry has seen copies of the coupons and is awaiting final approval before distribution to parents and guardians. Al-Harithy said the coupons serve as checks payable to a particular school. Citizens wanting to enroll their children in expensive private schools have to undertake to pay any difference that may arise. She said an international company conducted a study on the feasibility of the project and found that there should be support for this part of the Kingdom's education system. The government has already ordered a minimum monthly salary for Saudi teachers at private schools. She said the ministry is not authorized to fix the tuition fees of private schools. It can only mediate in disputes between parents and the management at these schools. The ministry has also conducted a study to determine who is eligible for these coupons. There is expected to be increased competition among schools to get a slice of this government money because the payments are guaranteed unlike the case with guardians who sometime face great difficulty in paying the tuition fees.
