The president of the General Trade Unions in Lebanon has addressed the Minister if Economy and Trade, Mr. Nicolas Nahas with regards to the raise in school tuition fees in private schools and which is escalating without any form of government control. According to the president of the GTUL, this rise by the administration and which is endorsed by the parents’ committees of schools is based on non-realistic budgets that are submitted to the Ministry of Higher Education which in turn approves these without proper monitoring or auditing.
Ghosn also pointed out to the added financial burden on families resulting from the proliferation of the new practice of trade-marking within private schools as most of them have their own “designer” school outfits bearing the institution’s logo and which students are forced to buy at high prices whereas alternatives are available on the local market at a lesser price. Ghosn also added that the same practice is presently in place for school books and stationary. (Al Safir, 2 October 2012)