Private schools’ fees increased for 2018/2019 academic year

CAIRO – 14 August 2018: Ministry of Education declared on Tuesday that private schools’ fees for the 2018/2019 academic year will increase.

The Ministry of Education remarked that the fees for Arabic private schools and co-operative schools will increase by 25 percent annually for fees of less than LE 2,000, by 20 percent for fees between LE 2,000 - LE 3,000, by 15 percent for fees between LE 3,000- LE 5,000, by 10 percent for fees between LE 5,000- LE 10,000, and by 7 percent for fees of more than LE 10,000.

As for international schools, the ministry remarked that the fees will surge 7 percent instead of 14 percent, and it will be applied starting from students enrolled in the 2015/2016 base year.

The ministry referred that regulations were set to operate private and co-operative schools transport services and identify the services' fees for the 2018/2019 academic year.

The transport services will increase by 45 percent for prices starting from LE 1,000 - less than LE 2,000, by 40 percent for prices from LE 2,000 - less than LE 3,000, by 35 percent for prices from LE 3,000 - less than LE 4,000, and by 30 percent for prices of LE 6,000 or more, considering that this increase is applied to schools that did not undergo a revaluation of expenses.

Concerning school textbooks, the ministry pointed out that the cost of textbooks shall be calculated where 10 percent administrative expenses will be added to the actual cost of the books.

The ministry stressed that buying additional books is optional while ministerial books are obligatory, and that private schools are not allowed to sell or make summaries, references or booklets for textbooks without taking permission from the competent authority of the ministry.

The Ministry of Education explained that school uniforms should not be sold inside schools or be changed for at least five years, referring that schools will be monitored regularly to ensure commitment.

In 2017, the Ministry of Education took action to control private and international schools' rising fees for this academic year.

The increase is inevitable given the fact that these schools want to mitigate the negative consequences of the floatation of the Egyptian pound. Indeed, international schools with foreign staff members have been especially hit by the effects of the floatation. Parents fear that schools will place disproportionately high increases on the tuition fees.
In this regard, the ministry has already decided the increase for private and international school fees starting this year will be limited. Minister of Education, Tarek Shawki, announced that he has already placed a limit on the increases of the international and private schools' tuition fees.

Shawki had previously announced that international school fees will increase by 14 percent maximum, for the school year 2017-2018; and another 7 percent yearly, starting this year. He also announced that fees for private Arabic and language schools will increase by 7-11 percent for each stage segment.

Abeer Hani, director general of Private and International Education at the ministry, said that Shawki issued Decree no. 173 for the year 2017, amending Article 5 of Resolution no. 422 for the year 2014.

She explained that the decree stipulates that the increase would be 11 percent for schools with fees less than LE 2,000, 8 percent for schools with fees between LE 2,000 and LE 3,000, 5 percent for schools with fees of LE 7,000 and more, noting that the total number of private schools in Egypt are 6,664; 217 of which are international schools and 6,447 are languages schools.

According to the Ministry of Education, about 20 million students were enrolled in schools around Egypt in the year 2015/2016. Fewer than 2 million students joined private schools.

Additional report by Reem Leila