JEDDAH: The department of school and student affairs at the General Directorate of Education in the Makkah region, gave priority to 1,000 productive families in Makkah to manage school canteens.

The move comes as the Ministry of Education is trying to provide more work opportunities for citizens, and enable them to invest in school canteens in order to market their products as well, so long as they meet school food quality and health safety requirements.

The director general of education, Mohammed Al-Harthy, emphasized the importance of benefiting from this opportunity and giving priority to productive families to operate school canteens.

The assistant director of education for school affairs, Mohammed Al-Madkhali, said the education department in Makkah will apply all conditions and requirements put in place by the ministry upon selecting productive families to run these canteens.

Families must be Saudi and nominated by the Ministry of Labor and Social Development or other institutions or committees active in the product families field with the ministry. These families must also have active health certificates and licenses from the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, confirming the health safety of members of the family and employees of these canteens, as well as a certificate of good conduct from the Ministry of Labor or associated institutions. Employees must also have experience in the area of work.  

“The productive family must also be financial capable of operating the school canteen and must join training courses about work requirements at these canteens on health standards. The family must also meet working times during the academic school year, and pay the necessary rental fees to schools in order to operate these canteens,” he said.