60% expat teachers get permits

The Ministry of Education has handed over licenses to 60 percent of expat female teachers who reside in the Kingdom with their husbands and who wish to continue in the profession.
Mansour bin Saleh Al-Khunaizan, head of the National Committee for International Education at the Saudi Council of Chambers, said licenses will be granted to the remaining teachers in coming weeks.
Conflicting statements issued by officials and authorities at the Education Ministry has created confusion in the field of education. Investors, teachers, students and their parents have expressed concern over the future of teaching and demanded that authorities issue a clear and reassuring statement regarding the suspension of inspection campaigns until the second semester.
The Ministry of Education had earlier informed international schools in the Kingdom about the approval of a grace period given by the Ministries of Labor and Education until the end of the second semester to rectify their status.
There are about 500 licensed international schools in Saudi Arabia. There are 11,600 Saudi students studying at these schools, which have a combined teacher work force of 21,800, including 1,000 Saudis.