JEDDAH, 3 July — Prince Abdullah, the regent, has instructed the Education Ministry that transfer of teachers must be conducted in a just manner without showing any prejudice or partiality.
"The rules and regulations set out by the ministry for the transfer of teachers must be strictly followed without exception in order to ensure equal treatment to all and protect public interest," the regent said.
Prince Abdullah gave the instructions in a message to Education Minister Dr. Muhammad Al-Rasheed. "Justice must be the basis of all activities," the regent said, and urged government officials not give any personal considerations in public matters.
Prince Abdullah’s instructions, published by Al-Madinah Arabic newspaper, came as about 35,000 male and female Saudi teachers applied for transfers.
The regent said the absence of strict application of transfer regulations would lead to an increase in the number of teachers in cities and decrease of qualified teachers in other parts of the country.
Al-Rasheed, in his reply to the regent, emphasized that the ministry would abide by the royal instructions as well as the ministry’s regulations in addressing the issue. "We’ll never allow breach of anybody’s rights ," he said.
"We have applied the regulations on all applicants. The ministry will consider the educational qualification, specialization, date of appointment, performance and days of absence for the transfer of teachers to their preferred schools.
Abdul Kareem Al-Zahrani, director of the department of teachers affairs at the ministry, told Okaz newspaper that the ministry had prepared a computer program to carry out transfer of teachers in a just and scientific manner.
"This program will help carry out the transfers automatically in the light of job requirements, ensuring justice and accuracy," he said.
