Private schools slashing fees by up to 23 per cent

TDT | Manama

Thirty-eight private schools in Bahrain have slashed tuition fees by five to 23 per cent, according to Education Minister Dr Majid bin Ali Al Nuaimi. Dr Al Nuaimi took part yesterday in the Council of Representatives’ remote session.

He added that the majority of schools also agreed to provide facilities for parents, postponing the payment of instalments to September 2020. Education Ministry Resources and Services undersecretary Dr Mohammed Mubarak Juma’a said that the ministry grants schools in advance to cover their urgent needs He pointed out that the ministry had also stopped giving 19 schools financial grants as they did not use previous ones.

Meanwhile, the Education Minister stressed the need for stand-by teachers as there are up to 350 absent employees on average daily, especially at girls’ schools. Dr Al Nuaimi pointed out that 3,500 employees are exempted, either partially or totally, on health grounds.

Aside from Dr Al Nuaimi and Dr Juma’a, University of Bahrain (UoB) president Dr Riyadh Youssef Hamza and other officials also took part in the virtual session. Dr Hamza stressed that the academic standing of the College of Business Management is ranked among the best in the world after obtaining international accreditation.

“The university also created a business incubator and a centre for digital creativity to enhance the role of the college,” he said. He added that the current teacher-student ratio stands at one is to 58, and stressed plans for improvement. Dr Hamza pointed out that the dropout rate from UoB is simple by international academic standards, being in the range of seven per cent.