JEDDAH: The Ministry of Education has issued a warning to private school principals against causing any delay in the payment of salaries to teachers, and if there is a delay they should inform the ministry about the matter immediately.

“Principals should also inform the ministry if their schools decide to increase tuition fees,” an official source at the ministry said in a statement.

“The ministry has informed the principals that they will be responsible for implementing the ministry’s educational policies. They should report any violations, such as teaching a syllabus not approved by the ministry or increase in tuition fees in the middle of the academic year,” the source said.

It added that the principals are also responsible to make available school accessories and teaching aid including laboratory supplies with the help of the school owner. The source made it clear that private school principals must ensure that all security devices and systems inside school buildings, such as fire extinguishers and first aid and emergency exits, are in good condition. They should also make sure that the fitness certificate issued by the Civil Defense to the school is valid.

Other instructions to the principals included not to employ an expatriate teacher unless the profession marked in his passport or iqama is “teaching”, and the teacher should be under the sponsorship of the school owner.

The ministry also instructed that all school bus drivers, messengers and guards should be Saudis. If any expatriate teacher is found to be poor in teaching or involved in any irregularities he should be instantly deported and not employed again. A new teacher should be appointed only after ensuring from related departments and the education administration that there is no bad remark about him.

A teacher who resigns from a private school should not be appointed again in the same school for two years.

The principals should also appoint an assistant driver for school buses. The regulations governing laboratories in private schools stipulate that a laboratory technician should be a Saudi carrying a diploma in laboratory specialization, Al-Madinah daily reported on Tuesday.

More than 30,000 teachers are working at 3,582 private schools in the new academic year. There are 1,411 boys schools and 2,171 girls’ schools.

According to the unified contract regulation for private schools, a Saudi teacher is entitled to a monthly salary of SR 5,600. While the school management should pay SR 3,100, the Human Resources Development Fund will supply SR 2,500 for each teacher.