RIYADH, 1 April — Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, yesterday opened an exhibition titled the Progress of Education in the Kingdom, organized by the Ministry of Education at the King Abdul Aziz Historical Center here.
In a speech on the occasion, Minister of Education Dr. Muhammad Al-Rasheed said Saudi Arabia had succeeded in bringing down the illiteracy rate among its male population to 8.4 percent. The National Guard and the Ministry of Defense and Aviation had won international awards in recognition of their commendable works to combat illiteracy, he said.
Underscoring the progress of education in the country, Al-Rasheed said the Education Ministry now runs more than 24,000 institutions.
After cutting a ribbon to formally open the event, Prince Sultan toured various pavilions in the exhibition. The tour included the Ministry of Education, the General Organization for Technical Education and Vocational Training, cultural and educational divisions of the armed forces, the Presidency of Girls Education, the Institute of Public Administration and the National Guard.
During Prince Sultan’s visit to the pavilions, Prince Miteb ibn Abdullah, assistant deputy commander of National Guard for military affairs, briefly outlined the system of education in the National Guard.
Prince Sultan also inspected the pavilion showcasing the historical stages of education in the Kingdom, jointly organized by the ministry and the National Museum.
He also viewed books published by the ministry and taught in schools since the time of King Abdul Aziz, saw a demonstration class in progress using computers and Internet and watched a documentary film about the development of education in the Kingdom since the days of King Abdul Aziz. The prince approved the conversion of the Saqr Quraish School into an educational museum.
Prince Turki Al-Faisal, head of the General Intelligence, and Prince Khaled ibn Sultan, assistant minister of defense and aviation, also attended the function as did Prince Sultan ibn Salman, secretary-general of the Higher Authority for Tourism. (SPA)
