The Education Ministry has withdrawn a textbook from international schools which describes Palestinians who resist Israeli occupation as “terrorists.”
The book was meant for teaching history to students in the ninth grade.
Education Ministry spokesman Mubarak Al-Osaimi said that all textbooks of foreign schools come from abroad after being authorized by the Ministry of Information and Culture. He also said that all private and international schools come under the purview of the Ministry of Education.
Al-Osaimi explained that the supervision of international schools ensures proper curricula for students, and monitors any irregularities in their content. “There is a supreme committee that monitors irregularities of foreign schools. At the same time, this committee has the full right to recommend punishments if it finds any violation, he said. 
Foreign schools are required to teach Arabic, Islamic civilization, and Saudi history and geography, according to conditions set by the Foreign and Private Education Department at the Ministry of Education. All international schools follow regulations set by the Ministry of Education.
Mussa Al-Sa’adawi, a director of an international school, said all textbooks are reviewed by the special committee to ensure they comply with the country's policy. A number of procedures are taken to import books from abroad. One of these measures is that textbooks must be authorized by Saudi government authorities.
Speaking to Arab News, he said that each international school selects the kind of books the students will study, but these books must not violate the educational regulations of the Kingdom. 
Parents, meanwhile, have called on foreign schools to improve the quality of Islamic studies. Although the Ministry of Education has decreed that all international schools must teach Islamic civilization, several concerned parents have complained that international schools still have serious deficiencies when it comes to the teaching of Islamic studies.
Adel Ramadan, an Egyptian father of two children who study at a foreign school in Jeddah, said: “The curriculum of foreign schools offers a high quality of education, but they need to enhance Islamic education. My sons face problems explaining Islamic concepts.”
“International schools provide a good curriculum, but the textbooks come from abroad. These books might include unacceptable information to our culture and political views. Therefore, I read all textbooks of my children to correct any wrong information on Islamic civilization,” he told Arab News.

Source: Arab News