RIYADH, 31 August 2003 — International schools that reopened this week have still not received copies of the government circular requiring them to replace expatriate drivers with Saudis at the start of the academic year.
The drivers transport women teachers and girls in school vans. Failure to follow the regulation will result in vans being stopped on the road.
According to an official from the Riyadh traffic department, only Saudi drivers will be allowed to transport female students and teachers to schools and universities. He said the companies had been asked to take necessary action before the new academic year began.
Arab News spoke to Dr. Abdullah Al-Moaly, director general of international schools in the Ministry of Education. He asked us to contact the directorate of schools in Riyadh which responded that international schools did not come under its control.
A random check of international schools established that none had received a copy of the circular although some had seen the report in the Saudi media. The circular was issued early this month when almost all schools had already closed for the summer; hence, most of them had missed the news.
One official said the traffic department would launch an awareness campaign pertaining to the regulations so that international schools could take appropriate measures.
In a related move, the Ministry of Interior has banned the recruitment of foreign drivers and directed that Saudi drivers should replace them.
Speaking by phone, Muhammad Ali Ponnur, chairman of the management committee, International Indian School Riyadh, told Arab News that they had seen the report but not the circular.
“We are negotiating with the Saudi Public Transport Co. (SAPTCO) for leasing five buses,” he said.
At present the school has about 10,000 students and 31 buses. A majority of the students are taken to and from school by their parents.
Speaking on behalf of the Philippines Embassy School, Riyadh, Zainab Mabani, principal, also said she had no knowledge of the circular. She said the school would contact the Education Ministry for a copy of the circular and the matter would be dealt with by the governing board. Zainab said PESR, one of nine Philippine international schools in the Kingdom, has about 600 students. In the interest of safety, girls on school vans are escorted to their homes by a female bus monitor.
The principal of the Pakistan International School, Riyadh (PISR), which reopened on Saturday, said he had not yet received copies of the circular. A similar response was received from board member of the Bangladesh International School, which has three buses and about 1,000 students.
