At this time every year, people have the problem of registering their children in schools.
In terms of trouble and bother, this is not unlike getting approval for university study.
We cannot say for how long parents will suffer every year simply because their children have moved up one step in the educational ladder and they must be registered in new schools.
It seems to me there are two reasons for the problem and they are linked to each other.
The first one is the population increase and the second is the delay in building new schools to meet the demands of the population.
We have the problem of some schools being unable to accept new students because they are full while there are large numbers of places available in schools far away from densely-populated areas.
I certainly do not believe that we should make schools available for every three or four houses.
Logic, however, dictates that additional schools should be built in densely-populated neighborhoods; it is both inconvenient and troublesome for students to have to be transported to schools far away from where they live.
It is equally important to distribute boys’ and girls’ schools evenly. This would decrease traffic and save time for many parents who drive their children to school and pick them up.
A smaller number of cars in the streets would obviously mean fewer accidents. I do not know how long we will keep making excuses.
A big city such as Jeddah should make this issue a top priority.
Officials in the Ministry of Education and in the Traffic Department are well aware of the problem — and have been aware for a long time.
When, I wonder, can we expect a solution? A new school year is upon us.
The problem is growing; the streets are choked with traffic in the morning and at midday. When will anything be done?
