The accords were inked by Naif Al-Romy, deputy minister of education for planning and development, at the Education Ministry headquarters in Riyadh.

The sponsors included Education Experts, Tatweer Holding and Saudi Research and Publication Company.

Speaking to Arab News following the signing ceremony, the deputy minister said the education sector in the Kingdom is one of the priorities of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah. The king has allocated SR168 billion for this year’s budget.

“The five-day exhibition and forum is a major event, which will be attended by more than 140 national and international companies that will display their products and services,” Al-Romy said, adding that there will be a three-day forum where 30 local and international speakers from 13 countries will exchange their experiences with participants. The foreign speakers will be coming from Europe, Asia and the Middle East, the deputy minister noted.

Besides these participants, students from 20 secondary schools will also take part in the show.

The official said the Ministry of Education has used all its energy to raise the level of education in the Kingdom. He pointed out that the exhibition and forum are conducted to raise the efficiency of teachers and to provide successful solutions for developing learning environments in the Kingdom.

“Due to the achievements of the maiden show last year, we are encouraged to hold the second show this year on a floor area of 14,000 square meters,” he said, expecting more than 30,000 visitors this year.

The upcoming expo will provide a great opportunity for teachers, school leaders and universities to keep abreast of the recent advances made in teaching methods, preparing for learning environments, education and performance and developing supportive programs.

All learning environments in the Kingdom contain over 6 million students. There are more than 33,000 learning environments with more than 600,000 employees working in them. There are some 22 public universities, nine private universities and 20 private colleges in the Kingdom.

The exhibition will cover eight areas in educational programs, such as curricula, educational equipment, educational and school buildings, training and leadership, overall quality and academic certification, kindergarten, talents and special needs.

The officials said the forum is designed to enhance the education sector by rehabilitating teachers, and empower them with sophisticated programs at higher education institutes to meet the needs of the modern education system.

The speakers at the forum are slated to cover topics such as teachers’ occupational development and evaluation of teachers' performances.

Last year more than 1,500 delegates took part in the forum and they were enlightened on various subjects on education by 31 local and international speakers.