JEDDAH, 11 May 2005 — Government primary schools in the Makkah region will allocate as much as 15 percent of their seats for expatriate students, according to Abdullah Ahmad Al-Thaqafi, assistant director general of education in the region.
Speaking to Arab News, Al-Thaqafi said intermediate and secondary schools would provide 10 percent of their seats to expats. He pointed out that the admission, however, would depend on the availability of seats at these schools.
Many expatriate workers have already started registering their children at special centers set up by authorities in various districts. “We have given them one month to complete the registration process,” Al-Thaqafi said.
Parents will be allowed to select 10 schools close to their residences and the education department will allocate seats in accordance with seat availability.
Al-Thaqafi said all students must follow the rules and regulations of the Kingdom. The age of a student seeking admission to primary school must be six years. “We’ll not accept any application for students who are less than six years old,” he said.
He called upon all interested parents to visit the registration centers as quickly as possible. “The centers will prepare a list of expatriate students in the form of a CD and send it to the education department,” he said.
The department will inform parents of the names of schools where their children have gained admission. “We wish all students to get seats in schools close to their homes but this depends on the availability of seats,” he added.
