BURAIDAH, 15 December 2002 — About four and a half million students around the country returned to their schools yesterday after a 13-day holiday .
The Ministry of Education was geared up for the resumption of the academic year setting up special plans to supervise the start of study after Eid-ul-Fitr holidays. Educational supervisors will visit schools to follow up on the start of study, a source said from the educational directorate in Qassim. “Attendance of students during the first day is very encouraging,” said Abdulaziz Abdulrahman Al-Modhy, headmaster of Hunaithel Intermediate School in Asyah.
The Ministry of Education has introduced special measures to monitor attendance and behavior of students during the whole year assigning 100 marks to the New Evaluation System recently applied by the ministry.
According to the new measures, a student will lose one mark for not attending school for one day without prior permission. He will lose two marks if he misses school for one day during the week before or after the holiday,” the new system pointed out.
Security and traffic police had made preparations for the heavy traffic from the early morning hours.
In Riyadh, Governor Prince Salman has approved a decision to change the start of study in Riyadh alone making it at 7 o’clock to avoid heavy traffic expected in the capital. Areas outside Riyadh, however, are not covered by the decision.
