Government Opposes Proposal to Maintain Subsidised University Fees for Repeated Courses
TDT | Manama
The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com
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The government has rejected a proposal by the House of Representatives to maintain the existing subsidised tuition fee system for the University of Bahrain, even for students repeating courses. The proposal sought to continue a system established by a royal decree in 2001. It was put forward by MPs Mohammed Al Ahmed, Lulwa Al Rumaihi, Muneer Suroor, Abdullah Al Dhaen, and Ahmed Qarata in February 2023.
The proposal suggested that raising university fees stifles students' ambitions, stressing the importance of maintaining the previous mechanism for reduced fees based on the royal grant from 2001 for the University of Bahrain, even in cases of retaking courses, in order to continue supporting Bahraini citizens and enabling university students to complete their studies.
The government argues that the University of Bahrain's new tuition fee policy, implemented in the 2022-2023 academic year, aims to maximize the benefit of government subsidies and ensure fairness. The current system provides Bahraini students and children of Bahraini mothers married to non-Bahrainis with a heavily subsidised rate of 8 Bahraini Dinars (BHD) per credit hour, while the actual cost per credit hour is 80 BHD.
Under the new policy, students repeating a course for the first time will still receive the subsidised rate. However, students repeating the same course a second time or more, or those repeating a course to improve their GPA, will be charged the full 80 BHD per credit hour.
The government contends that repeatedly providing subsidised tuition without demonstrable academic improvement constitutes a waste of public funds. The new policy, it says, promotes fairness and efficient resource allocation, aligning with government efforts to enhance academic success and optimise the use of university resources.
The government also emphasised that the university did not implement the changes without prior clear and transparent communication to students and their families.
"Furthermore, students failing optional courses always have the option of choosing an alternative course to avoid paying the full cost. Students who fail to achieve a grade higher than C in an optional course can choose a different optional course to improve their GPA without incurring the full cost for repeating the original course,"
The government maintains that its position ensures both fairness in the distribution of subsidies and encourages academic progress among students.
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