JEDDAH, 14 September — Nearly five million students will return to school today, the first day of the new academic year after a three-month-long summer vacation.
Education departments in various parts of the Kingdom are fully geared to receive the students.
Education Minister Dr. Mohammed Al-Rasheed said the Kingdom will adopt all modern developments in the education field, without deviating from its Islamic path.
In a statement on the occasion of the new academic year, he said the Kingdom’s education policy is based on Islam, which forms the Saudis’ faith, worship, morality, Shariah, and way of life as well as the main basis of the country’s general policy.
“The faith and its fundamentals will not change with the change of situation and interests,” the minister said. “However, in other matters such science, knowledge and educational tools, we’ll follow modern developments,” he added.
The minister called upon the students to develop their in-born skills and capabilities and to treat their teachers and classmates with respect, kindness and tolerance.
He urged teachers to set a good example to their students and carry out their mission sincerely and effectively. “Teachers should be qualified to teach their subjects in a way that would attract students,” he added.
He said the teacher-student relationship must be based on mutual love and respect, which could not be purchased by money and could not imposed by the cane. “But they could be obtained through wisdom, patience, sincere work, humbleness and kindness.”
Al-Rasheed emphasized the importance of cooperation between parents and teachers to promote education. “There should be continuous contact between teachers and parents to follow up the education of their children,” he added.
Traffic police have stepped up preparations to organize the traffic as roads all over the Kingdom would be filled with school buses and cars carrying students at morning and afternoon hours after a three-month gap.
The government has spent more than SR25 billion on building schools and other educational facilities over the past years. Last year alone it implemented 200 school projects at a cost of SR1.3 billion.
There are 12,415 primary schools, 6,107 intermediate schools and 3,292 secondary schools with 4,831,310 students and 336,253 teachers. The Kingdom has eight universities with several colleges affiliated to them.
