JEDDAH — Saudi school owners have expressed fears that foreign investors may enter the private education sector to take advantage of the uncertainty caused by the Ministry of Education's recent decision to increase the minimum wage of Saudi teachers to SR5,000. They believe that this will have a negative impact on education in Saudi Arabia. Abeer Ghazzawi, owner of a private school in Jeddah, told a local Saudi daily that local owners are afraid foreign investors with no education background may enter this sector and buy private and international schools, taking advantage of the financial pressure owners are facing from the ministry. She said that there are more than 150 private and international schools that may be forced to close down because of financial losses. Saudi investors are forced to exit this sector because they are facing pressure from the Ministry of Education to either adhere to the new financial rules or face potentially crippling fines. Ghazzawi said investors have urged Minister of Education Prince Faisal Bin Abdullah to find a compromise solution. She said: “There are many challenges we are facing as investors. One of them is the Civil Defense refusing to grant us safety permits despite the fact that the school buildings are in good shape. “Most private school buildings are built for residential use. We expect to be granted safety permits as long as the building is in good shape. “Also, social insurance authorities have asked private school owners to pay insurance on the entire salary of our Saudi teachers, even though part of it is provided by the Human Resources Development Fund. This will put an additional burden on the school. “Private schools also should not be forced to pay salaries during the summer vacation.” She said private schools should be allowed to recruit foreign labor domestically or recruit from abroad since Saudi teachers are hard to find. Schools should be granted visas to cover the shortage or hire female teachers who are accompanying their husbands in Saudi instead of recruiting from abroad, Ghazzawi said. She said: “Before the Ministry of Education renews a permit for a private school, it needs a permit from the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, which expects tough criteria to be fulfilled before it will issue one. “The ministry's rules include ensuring a 900 square meter space for kindergartens and a 7,500 square meter space for school compounds. “It is difficult to find this much land to establish schools in Jeddah, in addition to the high rent costs. “We want existing schools to be exempt from such conditions.” Ghazzawi added that many families have started to enroll their children at international schools and that many private schools are getting ready to close down by the end of this semester or by the end of the year. She urged the education minister to quickly form a committee with representatives from responsible authorities to meet with owners and investors in private schools to find solutions.
