Mr. Minister, I am beginning to think that some of your officials enjoy destroying any bright idea that might pop into the minds of our younger generation. Minds that produce bright ideas could well lead to a more aware and intelligent generation that is the very thing that gives us hope for the future of the country. With this in mind, I was deeply shocked to learn that your ministry had punished an entire school, including all its staff and students, because of an educational trip they made to the offices of Arab News in Jeddah.
Last month, students and four teachers from Al-Hamra Private Girls School visited Arab News. The girls not only illustrated clearly how aware and intelligent they were but also caught the attention of Arab News staff with their ideas and optimism which showed clearly that they would contribute to our country’s future development. In addition to the favorable impression the girls made, we were interested to find out that they also produce a newsletter entitled “Life Makers.”
It is a monthly publication, focusing on different issues that attempts to show readers how they can change for the better their own lives as well as other people’s. The name of the newsletter, incidentally, was taken from a series of lectures given by an Islamic dawa worker, Amr Khaled. The newsletter — as the girls themselves described it — aims at helping students decide what they want to do in future — a serious matter for students and one which, I believe, is not addressed in any of your ministry’s schools.
During their visit to Arab News, the girls asked relevant questions concerning the production of a newspaper, the process of printing and publishing and how the contents were chosen and decided upon. Throughout their visit, the girls wore their abayas and, by any stretch of the imagination, were very modestly dressed.
While in the office, the girls visited the women’s section and were then taken to the printing house. At all times, the four teachers were present and at no time did any of the girls leave the group. Both they and we felt that their visit had been a success and that both sides had learned from the other.
The next day, to our shock and surprise, we found an article on the Internet that, in the strongest terms, condemned the girls’ visit and went even further by calling the girls and their teachers the rudest possible names. The girls themselves were accused of unbelievable and immodest behavior. Not only that but the “unknown writer” on the Internet site described the girls and some Arab News staffers as “dishonorable and indecent.” Surprised as we were, we did not pay much attention to the online condemnation. We told ourselves — wrongly as it turned out — that people do not pay much attention to what appears on such an Internet website. It seems, Mr. Minister that your staff unfortunately does pay attention to what appears on certain websites. And not only do they pay attention; they act on what they see there. We were surprised to learn that ministry officials had questioned the head of the school and had opened an investigation! In addition, the school principal was reprimanded and a letter to that effect was put into her permanent file. But wait, Mr. Minister, there is more to come. The students were also punished by an order from your staff at the ministry that directed that the newsletter should cease publication and be permanently closed down.
I must ask you, Mr. Minister, if this is how our ministries function. Is this how ministries make decisions? Basing their decisions on what is written on an Internet site to which anyone can contribute? Are decisions made without making any kind of investigation of the other side of the story? I cannot understand why the girls, their teachers or the school itself should be punished. What wrong has been done which justifies shutting down the newsletter?
Mr. Minister, if you are aware of this incident, please treat this letter as a request for reconsidering the decision. If, on the other hand, you are unaware, then please check into the actions of your staff and take what action you think right. It seems that some people are making decisions on your behalf and, by so doing, giving the ministry a bad press.
Mr. Minister I urge that the newsletter be allowed to continue publication and the girls are thus encouraged. I would go a step further and respectfully suggest that a newsletter in every school, government and private, would be a good idea. Students would learn from the process and benefit from it. What more can we expect from education?
