According to Zelalem Mulat (PhD), Head of the Addis Ababa City Education Bureau, 1,200 of the city’s 1,585 private schools were permitted to raise fees for the 2018 E.C. academic year. These institutions had not adjusted their fees for the past two years and were granted leeway to revise their rates in line with inflation and operational demands.
Fee adjustments were conducted through a consultative process with parents, resulting in 79pc of schools reaching an agreement. The remaining 21pc, however, will now be subject to final arbitration by the Authority.
Under the city administration’s regulation, private schools may raise fees by 0 to 65pc, contingent on parent-school negotiations. So far, only Diamond Secondary School—classified as Level 4—has received approval for the full 65pc increase.
Zelalem also confirmed that schools allowed to raise fees this year will be restricted from further increases for the next three years, in a bid to stabilize tuition rates and reduce financial uncertainty for parents.