Min. of Education exempts some students from paying school fees

CAIRO – 24 September 2018: Some categories of students have been entirely exempted from paying school fees as well as tuition fees of the extra services and student activities, according to Ministry of Education's spokesperson Ahmed Khairy.

The students, who will be exempted from school fees entirely, include the children of those who died during the 2011 revolution; the children of the martyrs of the Armed Forces, police and judiciary; the children of those who died in terrorist attacks; children from families who receive social solidarity pensions; the children of sole female breadwinners; and the children of special needs people.

In the same context, the Ministry of Education issued a decision that children of teachers pay 50 percent of school fees.

Previously, the Ministry of Education declared 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 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 the increase 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.

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.