JEDDAH, 1 January — Education Minister Muhammad Al-Rasheed criticized his own ministry for not properly utilizing the facilities at the ministry’s offices for the rapid development of the educational sector in the Kingdom, press reports said yesterday.
In a letter sent to the top officials of the ministry, Al-Rasheed did not mince words in accusing the undersecretaries and department directors of not implementing the decisions taken in various meetings, Al-Madinah daily said.
The minister attributed the wastage of the ministry’s facilities to negligence on the part of the officials as well as to bureaucracy. He specifically expressed his displeasure by citing the recommendations of a meeting with the undersecretaries a year ago. The recommendations have not yet been implemented, despite repeated reminders.
The minister pointed out that the highly advanced machinery and other potentials of the ministry are not utilized. The high-tech printing facilities at the ministry are lying idle. Television and radio stations which are as good as any are not being used for the benefit of the student or the teaching community.
The minister also reminded all directors that they are responsible for following up on the education workshops and evaluating their performance on a monthly basis.
There are 13,000 schools with more than 2 million students under the ministry. They employ 172,000 teachers. The ministry also runs 18 teachers’ colleges.
