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LoginMOEHE Launches New Policy Regulating Private School Fees Starting from 2027-2028 Academic Year
Doha, June 11 (QNA) - The Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE) launched on Thursday the first edition of the School Fees Policy 2026 for private schools and kindergartens 2026, set to take effect from the 2027-2028 academic year.
The new policy aims to establish a clear and unified regulatory framework for approving tuition, operating, service, and optional fees. By linking future fee increases to specific financial, academic, and operational criteria, the framework seeks to enhance educational quality, ensure fairness and transparency, and balance the financial sustainability of private schools with protecting parents from unjustified increases.
Assistant Undersecretary for Private Education Affairs at MOEHE, Omar Abdulaziz Al Naama stated that launching the policy marks an unprecedented regulatory and developmental step for Qatar's private education sector. He noted that it aligns with the ministry's ongoing efforts to enhance the legislative and regulatory environment, bolster the sector's sustainability and competitiveness, improve educational outcomes, and balance the interests of investors, schools, parents, and students.
Speaking at a press conference to announce the policy, Al Naama added that the document was developed in response to repeated requests from investors, school operators, and parents for a transparent framework to regulate tuition fee approvals and modifications. He emphasized that this framework provides a clear vision for all stakeholders, enabling better financial planning and long-term investments.
He explained that the policy is the first of its kind in the Ministry's history, having been developed after benchmarking against international best practices and experiences to ensure a modern regulatory system that aligns with local and global developments in private education.
Al Naama pointed out that the new policy does not aim to impose additional restrictions on investors or hinder the growth of private education. Instead, it establishes objective standards for reviewing fees and modification requests, thereby promoting fairness and eliminating individual discretion.
He further noted that the Ministry has established a clear methodology for calculating fees for new schools based on economic feasibility studies and operational standards. This approach ensures the sustainability of educational projects, attracts high-quality investments, and expands educational choices for parents.
Fee amendment requests from existing schools will be subject to objective criteria factoring in inflation rates, operational costs, and academic performance quality. This ensures a balance between allowing top-performing schools to develop services and maintain financial viability, while protecting parental interests.
Director of the Private Schools and Kindergartens Department, Dr. Rania Mohamed, stated that the policy represents a qualitative leap in regulating tuition fees. She emphasized its focus on promoting integrity and transparency, while balancing a school's right to develop educational services with the rights of parents and students to clear procedures and financial and educational stability.
The Ministry added that the 2026 edition was launched following a pilot phase applied to fee requests for the 2026-2027 academic year, which tested the effectiveness of the standards and controls prior to official implementation in the 2027-2028 academic year.
The policy draws on the provisions of Law No. 23 of 2015 regarding the regulation of private schools, alongside relevant ministerial decrees, regulations, and guidelines, serving as a unified regulatory framework for all private schools and related entities.
Dr. Rania Mohamed also noted that the Ministry has restructured the deadlines for submitting fee increase requests to accommodate different academic calendars. Schools starting their academic year in January or April must submit requests in September, while those starting in September must submit requests in December. This restructuring offers greater flexibility and gives schools adequate time to meet their academic requirements.
Dr. Rania Mohamed indicated that the new policy grants parents a period of up to 18 months before any approved tuition increase takes effect. Previously, such increases were announced shortly before the start of the academic year. This extension provides families with ample time to plan financially and make informed decisions regarding whether their children will continue at their current school or transfer to another.
She emphasized that the ministry has established for the first time a clear cap on tuition fee increases to serve as the primary reference point when reviewing applications. This measure aims to prevent unjustified hikes and balance the quality of educational services with families' financial capabilities.
She further explained that the policy introduces a new mechanism for calculating increases, shifting the primary criteria to academic performance and educational quality, whereas the focus was previously centered on financial aspects. Consequently, the percentage increase varies among schools based on evaluation results; some schools received no increase, while others were granted increases of 2% or 3%.
Highlighting the most prominent new regulations, Dr. Rania Mohamed stated that a school or kindergarten must be licensed for three years before applying for a tuition fee increase, with the exception of operating, service, and optional fees. Schools that have received an increase within the past three years are barred from submitting a new application. Additionally, the enrollment rate must not fall below 65% of the school's capacity, and occupancy must not exceed 100% unless approved by the Ministry.
The policy also outlines penalties for schools that submit false data or documents to influence application reviews. Penalties include being barred from submitting fee increase applications for two consecutive academic years, in addition to potential legal penalties stipulated under applicable legislation.
Furthermore, any approved increase exceeding 5% must be distributed over two consecutive academic years to accommodate the financial capacity of parents. Schools implementing multiple curricula are required to submit separate financial statements for each, and the policy mandates that the full academic standard be calculated in cases where international assessments cannot be conducted due to reasons beyond a school's control.
To address special cases, the Ministry has introduced financial and academic recovery pathways. The Private Schools Licensing Department will prepare financial recovery plans for schools facing financial challenges, while schools experiencing academic deficiencies must develop time-bound improvement plans. The two pathways can be combined based on individual case evaluations.
The Director revealed that the Ministry will issue standardized fee schedules for all 355 private schools and kindergartens, regardless of whether they submitted adjustment requests. These schedules will include the year of issuance and remain valid until a new version is released.
Reviewing the results of the pilot program, she noted that 99 schools and kindergartens submitted requests to increase tuition, operating, service, or optional fees. Out of these, 57 requested increases in both tuition and operating fees, while 20 sought increases for operating and service fees only. The Ministry rejected 22 applications for failing to meet the requirements and approved increases for 54 schools and kindergartens that successfully met all criteria. (QNA)
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