JEDDAH, 29 September 2003 — Teachers and security guards of the International Philippine School in Jeddah (IPSJ) have tendered their courtesy resignations to pave the way for a reorganization of the school’s bloated work force.

School officials said the resignations were meant to give the interim administrators a free hand to select who would be retained, based on merit and the need for their services.

Last week, the Saudi Ministry of Education in cooperation with the Philippine Consulate General appointed an temporary administration to look into the school’s affairs pending the election of a new school board.

In a letter to the school on Sunday, Abdullah Bin Mohammad Al-Howaimel, director general for education in the Makkah Region, reaffirmed the appointment of Ameerah S. Ali as principal, Fatima Natangcop as assistant principal, and Jose Ramil Jr. as administrative officer.

The letter told Ameerah to instruct the chairmen and members of the previous “legitimate” school board headed by Efren Rodriguez, and those of the so-called “Interim Board’ of Fidel Hernandez, to hand over all the school’s properties in to the new administration.

“Any refusal of from the concerned parties had to be referred directly to the director general,” Al-Howaimel’s letter said.

He also ordered the reinstatement of employees under the school’s sponsorship who have been fired when Hernandez and his group took over the school by forcibly evicting the Rodriguez board late last year.

Amid mounting tensions at the troubled school, Mansour Ghazali, the MOE’s director of foreign schools, made a surprise visit to the school last week and dismissed Hernandez’s group.

He warned troublemakers to spare the school for the benefit of the children.

“As I am trying to fix the problem of this school, let there be none of you troublemakers test the competence of the Saudi government,” Ghazali said in a stern warning during a meeting of parents, teachers and faculty staff.

Ghazali was apparently referring to the disgruntled groups who wanted to grab power or cling to power even though they were not duly elected by parents and not recognized by the Ministry of Education.

Ghazali also turned down the offer of Parents-Teachers Council (PTC) officers to handle the election of a new board.

“The PTC has no jurisdiction over the matter. The only link between the school and the MOE will be the duly elected board,” Ghazali clarified.