JEDDAH, 10 September 2005 — More than five million Saudi students will go to schools, colleges and universities today at the start of a new academic year (2005-06) as Education Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Obeid urged everyone’s cooperation to achieve better education results.
“All members of society including students, parents, teachers, the ministry, the media, the governorates, municipalities and transport and communication departments must do their duty,” Al-Obeid said in a statement on the eve of the inauguration of the new academic year.
According to a report released by the Education Ministry, there are 4.88 million boys and girls being taught by 411,600 teachers at 30,800 schools across the country.
“It is not an issue of an individual or an institution,” Al-Obeid said, calling for integrated efforts by educational institutions, the media, think-tanks and labor market to bring about a new revolution in education.
The minister referred to a recent meeting of top education officials with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah in Jeddah, and said the King had urged education officials and teachers to do their duty perfectly, fearing the Almighty. He also emphasized the need to strengthen the unity of Saudi society and set aside religious differences “because disunity is one of biggest dangers we are facing today.”
The ministry said it had completed all preparations for the new academic year, by renovating school buildings and amassing an adequate supply of school textbooks.
“We have prepared new curricula for a number of subjects including for Tauheed, Fiqh and Tafseer for intermediate classes, and Tauheed and Fiqh for Class I, II and III of elementary schools,” the ministry reported.
There is also change in Arabic language textbooks for intermediate classes. A new history book for secondary school boys as well as new textbooks for chemistry, physics and biology for girls have also been prepared in addition to mathematics books for primary classes and computer books for secondary schools.
“For the first time ever, books for the first three elementary class students will be distributed in a single packet along with syllabi and a message to parents,” Al-Obeid said.
The ministry has carried out maintenance of more than 2,750 school buildings and renovated 267 others at a cost of SR62 million. It has also spent nearly SR250 million to implement a number of other school projects in various parts of the country ahead of the new academic year.
“We have also appointed 3,500 new teachers this academic year to offset the shortage of staff,” a ministry official said, adding that all teachers have resumed duty last week after a two-monthlong summer vacation.
Developing the capabilities of gifted students is one of the declared objectives of the ministry in the new academic year when it will carry out a number of new programs for them. “We will also conduct special training courses for teachers dealing with such students,” the official said.
The courses will be held in Riyadh, Madinah, Al-Hasa, Jizan, Yanbu and Najran.
