DOHA: The Ministry of Education and Higher Education has issued guidelines regulating the enrichment classes held in schools for weak students as well as those showing excellent performance.
The new guidelines have been issued because enrichment classes have become important for the student and the parents and the ministry is trying to relieve families from the financial and social burden of private tuitions conducted at home.
Eight to 15 students have been allowed in a class and each student can register for up to four subjects whether he/she is in a group enrichment class or individual private class.
Duration of the classes has been fixed at a maximum eight hours for those conducted in the middle of the first and second term and the fee is fixed at QR200 for the whole duration.
The guidelines say that these classes need to be finished at least two weeks before the regular tests.
For enrichment classes conducted at the end of the first and second terms, the fee has been fixed at QR300 (with a duration of 14 hours) which must be finished at least one month before the test.
As for private enrichment classes held in schools, the ministry said that they should be conducted by the end of the first and second terms and finish at least two weeks before the test. The fee for such tuition has been fixed at QR1,200 per student for classes with a duration of 14 hours.
However, for private classes held for a group of students (two to four students at the most) the fee is QR1,500, to be divided among the students in the group.
For private enrichment classes held at the end of the first and second terms, the student needs to pay QR2,100 for 14 hours, but for a group of two to four students the total fee has been fixed at QR2,500 and the classes should be finished at least one month before the test.
The ministry said that it has developed the guidelines based on feedback from experts. Enrichment classes are allowed only on Saturday evenings to support weak students to improve their academic achievement or to enable a student with excellent achievements to keep up their performance.
The schools should select the teachers but a student can be allowed to choose their teachers for certain subjects, if needed.
The ministry said there will be supervision of the teachers’ performance and the subjects covered.
