School administrations consider it necessary to enrich the educational process and is not mandatory

Parents of students affected by the cost of enrichment activities in private schools

Students in private schools reported that they are forced to pay additional large sums of money to schools, during the school year, in exchange for their children’s participation in extra-curricular activities and events or the implementation of assignments that teachers consider supportive of the educational process, including the purchase of tools and clothes on certain occasions, stressing that these assignments burden families. Financially, in addition, some schools aim to make a profit from them.

The administrations of private schools said that the enrichment requests requested by teachers during the school year are aimed at supporting educational curricula, in addition to the fact that most of them are optional, and their proceeds do not go to the school treasury.

In detail, students' parents mentioned that private schools asked them to provide detergents, tissues and supplies related to the educational process in the classroom, which increases the families' financial burdens.

They pointed out that these requests are apparently optional, but families are obliged to meet them, taking into account the feelings of their children, who will find their colleagues brought them, while they will appear remiss in the eyes of their colleagues.

Diana Saleh (mother of two students) said that the teachers’ requests are many and varied throughout the semester, including the request to bring certain clothes according to the occasion, or in certain colors, in order to keep pace with the “days of color”, adding that she bought balloons and straws to drink juice and adhesive tape, to complete a project on “breathing.” Lungs”, requested by a biology teacher at the school.

She added that most of the projects that teachers ask of students in the school are destined for waste within days of handing them over, and recording grades on the project or after the end of the semester, at best.

Hiam Othman (Taleb's mother) confirmed that many of the orders that teachers buy for students to complete projects are not sold in bookstores alone, forcing parents to buy a full set of tools.

She indicated that some requests are surprising, although they need time to buy them, such as bringing a certain type of outfit the next day, including clothes for a specific occasion, which forces the student’s guardian or student to spend a long time searching for this outfit in separate places. .

Ahmed Seif (the father of a student) said that most of the educational projects requested by private schools from students do not have a strong return, and are only additional costs on the family’s shoulders, especially in the current period in which the income of many families has been affected due to the consequences of the “Corona” pandemic.

He stated that it is not useful to assign the student to buy certain clothes for specific days, such as the days of colors, and to replace them with paintings from the school that are presented to them in the classroom.

He added that for the projects assigned to young students, the teacher must qualify the students to actually prepare them, instead of being completed by the father, mother or someone else, if they are not purchased ready-made from some bookstores.

He pointed out the need to specify the fees for events and projects requested by schools within the tuition fees so that schools do not take advantage of students' families and drain their money throughout the school year with worthless projects.

On the other hand, school administrations confirmed that the fees for services and enrichment requests, which they receive from students' families during the school year, are optional, and their proceeds do not go to the school treasury.

She stated that participation in enrichment activities, events and programs is not obligatory, and those who do not attend them are not asked about them, stressing that the school administration takes into account those with limited income and who are financially unable to provide it, by taking care of it for them if it is necessary.

She explained that the study requirements need enrichment activities to support the educational process, and transform it into interactive, so that the student's participation in it is the largest.

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