RIYADH, 24 July 2003 — Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed has asked the Ministry of Education in the region to study the spread of truancy as well as the craze for Western clothes, Al-Riyadh newspaper reported yesterday.
The prince told the ministry to find out what motivated many students to bunk off school and smoke sheesha in nearby coffee shops, the paper said.
The prince said the phenomenon was dangerous and had to be contained.
The governor asked Imams to caution young men against such behavior in lectures, seminars and at summer camps.
He also stressed the responsibility of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice in trying to address the problem of cutting classes.
Meanwhile, police stations have been asked to take signed confirmation from owners of coffee shops near schools that they will not allow any youngster under 18 years in to smoke sheesha during school hours.
Coffee shops found in violation will be shut down or fined, sources told the paper.
