MUSCAT: Many of the Indian schools in Oman are facing a battle for survival in the wake of the Coronavirus crisis, a top Board of Directors (BOD) official informed The Arabian Stories (TAS) on Saturday.  

As the economic fallout from the pandemic begins to bite, there are fears that a number of Indian Schools in the country may delay paying salaries to its staff. According to the senior official, two Indian schools in the country have already approached the board for financial assistance to pay salaries of their staff.  

All the schools in the country are closed as a precautionary measure against the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. “This is a very critical situation for everyone. What we are going to see is significant strain and pressure on cash flow as many parents are delaying paying the fees and this means, many schools may be delayed in paying the staff salary,” he said.

  Last week, TAS had reported on parents’ concerns in paying the school fees due to the pandemic crisis, with most of them asking for reduction. The BOD has also introduced various measures for parents facing financial constraints including paying fees monthly instead of quarterly.  

According to the official, 90 per cent of all Indian schools’ income goes for paying staff salaries. “We (Indian Schools) do not generate any extra income. 90 per cent of our revenue is used to pay the salaries of our staff that includes teachers. If you compare the fees structure of Indian schools with other private schools, we are the lowest in the region. We strongly feel and understand the plight of the parents but how can we stop paying the teachers? Now we have two Indian schools that have approached the BOD for financial help. I am sure this will be the case of every other school in the coming months.”