Ministry seeks to improve education

The spokesman of the Ministry of Education, Moubarak Al-Asseimy, revealed that the ministry aims to raise the quality of education in the Kingdom’s schools, following a decree it issued during Hajj 2017 to grant rented schools a two-years extension before it closes them in case they do not meet the regulatory conditions. He pointed out that the number of licensed school buildings reached 49; the number of existing schools that have already moved to new educational facilities reached 76; the number of educational buildings under construction is 154; the number of investors who presented transition plans reached 1,157; while 650 others have yet to present their transition plans. He added that the ministry is working on raising the national and foreign educational level and putting it into competition, confirming that the ministry is committed to providing students with an enabling school environment. He said that the ministry also adopted a plan to implement its decision regarding non-educational rented buildings with residential or business licenses, and that it has held more than eight workshops with the Agency of National Education and investors. Concerning contracts and salaries of national schoolteachers, Al-Asseimy said that the ministry and the relevant committees are working on clear steps, indicating that contracts concluded with some of the teachers followed the uniform outline agreed upon that protects teachers’ rights and that the conclusion was made with the teachers’ consent after their contract expiration. Al-Asseimy stated that the contract’s uniform outline guarantees teachers’ rights and holidays, and that the ministry has implemented a plan in order to be informed of any school that does not abide by the outline, along with ongoing inspections done by educational administrations to control contracts and the educational process. Meanwhile, more than 50,000 teachers and administrators are getting ready to receive students across different educational stages in Jeddah for the 2017-2018 school year on Sunday. The director general of the General Directorate of Education in Jeddah, Abdullah Al-Thaqafi, maintained that all educational and administrative staff will prepare their schools for receiving students within the framework of implementing the “Professional Preparation” program which aims to enhance the educational process through the professional development of teachers and educational supervisors. The deputy director general for educational affairs, Yahya Al-Qahtani, stated that the “Professional Preparation” program is based on developing the potentials of teachers and completing the preparations for the new school year. He also clarified that the preparation week involves an intensive training plan for about 130 quality training programs in the educational field. The General Directorate of Education in Jeddah recently launched “My School” project which aims to familiarize the “school society,” as well as all society members, with the basic components of the school and the supporting programs.