Panel approves proposal to slap fees on expat students

Manama : Education for expatriate students would soon become costly as a parliamentary committee has approved a legislative proposal to impose fees on non-Bahrainis studying in public schools.

Services Committee in the House of Representatives passed the proposal to impose an annual fee of BD400 on each non-Bahraini student studying in government schools.

The committee’s decision came after consulting Education Ministry and the National Institution for Human Rights.

Initially submitted by MP Jalal Kashim in late 2015, the proposal aims to amend the seventh article of the existing Law 27 of the year 2005 with respect to educational services in the Kingdom.

The current law stipulates that fundamental (primary and intermediate) and secondary education should be free for all in public schools in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The lawmaker’s suggestion comes to amend the law by “imposing charges on non-Bahraini students studying in public schools, belonging to countries that impose education charges on Bahraini students studying in public educational establishments.” However, the proposal exempts students from GCC countries.

The council’s Legislative and Legal Affairs Committee had previously approved the proposal from a constitutional perspective.

Kadhim had stated earlier that the proposal comes in line with the laws implemented in fellow GCC countries, which, for years, didn’t offer free education to foreigners.

 “The latest statistics showed that “each student annually costs the state around BD3000. There are around 16, 000 non-Bahraini students studying in public schools and their annual return is BD0. Imposing BD400 fees would generate BD6.7 million for the State exchequer. Such big amounts should only benefit Bahrainis and GCC nationals,” Kadim had stated earlier.