“Education supervisors are assigned to conduct personal interviews of all applicants,” said Sulaiman Al-Maqoshi, assistant director general for school affairs in Riyadh. “The supervisors will focus on a teacher’s ideology. They will also look for aspects of physical or chronic disabilities that might affect a teacher’s performance in school.”

Elaborating on the last point, Al-Maqoshi said the screening of teachers will also include disability screening for their hearing, speech and ability to walk. However he stressed that the important part is the teacher’s ideological thinking.

Abdulaziz Al-Dubayan, director of education in Riyadh, said: “The implementation of these interviews is a trust that a nation’s future relies on. A good teacher means exceptional and outstanding students who will graduate.”

This is not the first time the Saudi Education Ministry has attempted to exclude teachers who might teach extremism.

In December 2008, Director General of Teacher’s Affairs Yousf Al-Omran said that the Education Ministry would immediately expel or transfer teachers who might pose a physical or moral threat to students. He noted at the time that there were some ethical and moral issues with some teachers.