“It will be a basic subject and follow the same criteria as other subjects,” a Cabinet statement said, urging school authorities to appoint qualified staff to teach the language.
“A special panel including representatives from the Ministry of Education and English language experts will make sure the language is taught by qualified teachers,” Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja said, explaining the Cabinet decision.
The Cabinet urged the Education Ministry to make proposals to teach English language in classes lower than Grade IV if it was prepared.
Earlier, King Abdullah briefed the ministers on the outcome of his talks with Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf and the content of a message he sent to Muhammad Tantawi, chairman of the Supreme Military Council in Egypt, while highlighting the deep-rooted relations between the two countries.
The king also spoke about his telephone conversation with Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Sunday. Khoja said the Cabinet hoped ongoing efforts by the GCC Ministerial Council would lead to a final agreement to achieve peace and stability in Yemen.
The Cabinet welcomed the agreement reached by Palestinian groups during a meeting in Cairo recently, Khoja said, and stressed the importance of Palestinian unity to achieve their legitimate rights including the establishment of an independent state.
The Cabinet denounced the terrorist attack in Marrakesh that resulted in the death of several innocent people and conveyed its condolences to the Moroccan government and people as well as bereaved families. The Kingdom emphasized the need to confront terrorism with determination.
Referring to amendments approved by the king to the Saudi Press and Publications Law, the Cabinet said it would boost the credibility of the Saudi media and protect the rights of all parties involved in media production and distribution.
It also praised the king’s decision to write off remaining loan installments due to be paid by deceased citizens to the Agricultural Development Fund.
The Cabinet renewed the membership of Abdul Aziz Al-Quraishi, Muhammad Binzagr and Abdul Aziz Al-Adel in the board of directors of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) for five years. It appointed Abdullah Al-Asheikh minister plenipotentiary at the Foreign Ministry and Muhammad Al-Faer director of the office of the water and electricity minister. The Cabinet decided to join the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic.
