The Ministry of Education in Jeddah ordered the International Luxury School, located in the city’s Rawdah district, to close last week and students to vacate the building. The ministry said it ordered the closure due to a violation that the school had committed; this was, however, denied by the school, which is adamant that all procedures and regulations have been strictly followed.

Abdullah Al-Thaqafi, the director of education in Jeddah, said the school was operating last year with a license issued in the name of the Royal International School. The name of the school was then changed to the International Luxury School without the license being extended.

Al-Thaqafi added that the school’s owner wanted to drop the old name of the school without settling a violation that had been registered against it.

The father of a student at the school said he had no knowledge of the problem between the school and the Ministry of Education, and that he is worried about his son’s education, especially since the school has closed in the middle of the current academic year.

Rakan Arab, student adviser to the school, said the license that had been granted to the International Royal School early last year was a temporary one for six months to a year. He added that the school had tried to acquire a permanent license but was unsuccessful in its application.

Arab said education at the school was stopped on Saturday when a committee from the Ministry of Education arrived at the school and asked students to leave. He added that the school’s administration is adamant not to give up and will try to re-open the school.