JEDDAH – The managing committee of International Indian School Jeddah (IISJ) has decided to make a 15-20 percent increase in the salary of the school staff and 20 percent hike in the tuition fee of students. Mohammed Abdul Raziq, chairman of the committee, told Saudi Gazette that the new fee structure will come into force from June 1. “All post graduate trained (PGT) staff, who teach in classes 9-12 will have a 20 percent pay raise. All other employees, including non-teaching staff and bus drivers, will get 15 percent hike,” he said, adding that each staff member will get salary increase of between SR350 and SR800 with retrospective effect from April 1. Abdul Raziq said the school will have an additional financial burden of SR9 million for the salary hike of its 700-strong staff in a year. “There is no way in front of the school management other than raising the tuition fee to meet the growing expenses. The decision was taken in line with the directive of the salary revision subcommittee under the Higher Board of International Indian Schools,” he said. There will be a proportionate increase in the transportation charges as well, the chairman said. He said the managing committee has made plans to improve further the quality of education and infrastructure facilities. “More smart classes will be introduced during the academic year,” he said. Abdul Raziq said preparations are in full swing to open a new campus to accommodate more students. “We are awaiting permission from the Ministry of Education for a new campus in Al-Rihab district, not far away from the boys' section. We will start classes immediately after getting the permission, which is expected shortly,” he said. “The new campus with around 100 rooms can accommodate more than 2,500 students with separate facilities for boys and girls,” he said. Abdul Raziq said the new facility is part of short-term solutions to meet the growing demand for admission. “The IISJ fails to accommodate an overwhelming majority of applicants for admission every year. This year, the school could give admission to only around 800 out of 8,000 applicants,” he said. The managing committee is keen to have a permanent solution to the admission problem and are looking for land to construct a new campus, he added. The school has nearly 13,000 male and female students on its rolls.
