DAMMAM, 13 February - Elections in all foreign schools are set to take place after the foreign section of the Ministry of Education issued revised regulations governing the management of these schools.
A number of embassies in the Kingdom had submitted proposals to the ministry urging it to revise the current regulations, which provided the basis of previous elections.
All the foreign schools in the Kingdom have held elections under the previous regulations except the International Indian School, Dammam, which has an appointed managing committee that long ago completed its term. The Indian Embassy has been postponing the overdue elections to the IISD committee on various pretexts.
Indian Ambassador Talmiz Ahamd has made no bones about his opposition to elected school committees. Many expatriates also consider elections to school committees as counter productive as their performance has in fact often been left wanting. Pakistani, Indian and Philippine schools - all have had to weather huge controversies since they had direct elections to establish management committees.
The committee's role is essentially administrative, and the principal and his teaching staff are supposed solely to be in charge of the schools' academic life. Unfortunately, managing committees have not only interfered in the academic side of things, but also have often harassed staff and principals. They have also been accused of bending the rules when it comes to regulations governing admissions, fee concessions and the appointment of teachers.
Despite this history, the Ministry of Education has made it clear that it will not tolerate foreign embassies interfering in the internal affairs of schools, a stance determined by the ministry's assessment of previous committees nominated by embassies. Millions of riyals were allegedly embezzled by the members of the nominated committees; favoritism was witnessed during that era. It was the exposure of these goings on, chiefly by parents and the media, that led the ministry to opt for elected management bodies.
The revised law has 23 articles, which the ministry says will be subject to further revision after two years. For now, a council consisting of parents, the school authorities and an embassy representative will be set up. The council will be responsible for organizing elections.
Neither the chairman nor the elected committee members, however, will have the right to interfere in the daily work of the school. The embassy will enjoy observer status during committee meetings. The new regulations do not say anything about proportional representation, and as a result regional bias and prejudices are bound to effect the outcome of most elections.
