School children across the Kingdom have become accustomed to skipping the first day of school, especially after long holidays. The figure of absenteeism usually varies between 15-99 percent.

The rate of absence in hamlets and villages in Al-Ahsa on the first day of school was 15 percent, according to local media reports. However, this figure dropped to 7 percent in governorate schools.

A large number of pupils in Hail didn’t show up to their schools on the first day after the Eid Al Adha holiday. They sent messages to their friends on social media networks that studies will only begin in the second week. As a result, only 5 percent came to school on the first day.

Mohammad Al-Shammari, principal of Hail Secondary School, said that absences from school affect children’s education, attributing responsibility to the pupils families for failing to ensure their children attendance. “We, the administration and teachers come everyday, but students have outgrown discipline because we have begun treating them like grownups,” he said.

On the other hand, Mohammad Gharamallah, director of the educational office in Aqiq, said attendance rates were 99 percent on the first day.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Muej’b Al-Zahrani, director general of Yanbu’s education, said that all 400 schools resumed normally with no noticeable absences among teachers and students.

Abdulmajeed Al-Ghamidi, spokesman for the Jeddah Educational Directorate, added that attendance was good, because students had exams. He said school staff stress the importance of children’s attendance after holidays and assigned core subjects to the pupils upon their return.

Al-Ghamidi said any pupil who doesn’t attend school after holidays will be subjected to punishment, regardless of any excuses.

Ahmad Al-Ghamidi (teacher) explained that some teachers and pupils were absent from schools due to delays in flight bookings.