AN outspoken MP has demanded that the government withdraw its support to private schools and universities that have failed to reduce their fees by at least 50 per cent.
As part of a BD4.3 billion financial aid package to offset the impact of Covid-19 on businesses, the government had announced a waiver of utility and municipal bills while also agreeing to pay the salaries of Bahraini employees in the private sector for three months until June.
MP Zainab Abdulameer claimed that private educational institutions had apparently not been impacted by the pandemic.
“Some private schools are still collecting fees from parents while some had made token attempts at reducing fees by only 10pc,” she said in a statement yesterday.
“There are companies, establishments and stores that have suffered major losses because of the pandemic and they are more deserving of this support than the private educational establishments that have rarely contributed to lessening the burden on parents because of Covid-19.
“Achieving a balance in the distribution of support should be based on the amount of damage and should pour into the business community and ensure the continuity of its establishments that have suffered actual damage unlike the educational establishments that continue to make a profit.”
She stressed that if private educational establishments continued to receive support it will double their profits and create an imbalance in the government support equation.
The GDN previously reported that of the 76 private schools, 73 said they were committed to a reduction in fees or to easing burdens by postponing the date of payment of the instalments or rescheduling payment.
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