Many foreign parents could not register their children because they did not complete their identity papers. Some Saudis were told that their children fell short of the minimum school age.
One Saudi mother told Arab News that her daughter was only 10 days under the minimum age and was not enrolled for this reason. She feared that next year she might be overage.
“My daughter Shahd is five years, eight months and 17 days old. She has distinctions from kindergarten. She was born on Muharram 28, 1427 AH. The system has excluded children born in that year,” said Hind Ahmad Aiesh, a widow.
A number of foreign parents told Arab News they could not enroll their children for financial reasons. Some students were not enrolled because they wished to move to other schools in the city or another location.
The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) received a number of complaints from parents that their children were deprived of education because they were not added to their identity papers.
NSHR Chairman Mofleh Al-Qahtani said the society was asking school administrations to give parents time until they had corrected their status in residence documents.
“We received complaints from a number of parents against schools that refused to accept their children because of a lack of places. We asked these schools to do their best to find places for the children,” he said.
Al-Qahtani said a number of children in some southern villages could not be enrolled because they were out of the catchment areas for any schools even remotely nearby. According to rules, schools should not be more than 40 km away from homes.
The chairman said the society also asked education authorities in various areas to overcome problems impeding the enrollment of children in schools. He said the society also asked the Ministry of Education to review its decision about the catchment area of schools.
Meanwhile, director of Jeddah’s department of education Abdullah bin Ahmad Al-Thaqafi said places will be allocated for all Saudi students in the city's schools despite the large population, especially in the east of the city.
He said the department has authorized school principals to enroll new students as well as those wishing to change schools.
Al-Thaqafi asked parents not to insist on registering their children in schools nearest to their homes and said the most important thing was finding a place for the child.
