The Ministry of Education has drawn up a list of private schools that will face penalties for advertising on streets without permission from authorities. The ministry had earlier warned private schools against advertising inside or outside their facility for any purpose.

Schools are not allowed to advertise using billboards, multimedia, or on school transportation services, excluding material relating to the school’s educational services or documented educational achievements. 

The schools identified by the Department of International and Private Schools include institutions which had violated advertising regulations by posting advertisements without permission.

The action follows complaints from parents who said the advertisements carried inaccurate and misleading information regarding the number of enrolled students and educational services offered. 

The ministry’s announcement comes at a time when schools have opened their doors for registration for the new school year, with many schools taking advantage of traffic signals and transport vehicles to display their ads in the streets of Riyadh. Mosques and government facilities were also not spared of these advertisements, which were placed randomly around buildings and also without permission from relevant authorities. 

According to the ministry, those interested in placing ads in accordance with regulations must not include pictures of the owners of these establishments or any non-official personnel both within and outside the facilities, and in public marketing material.

Schools are also prevented from exploiting images of celebrities or officials in their ads and must first obtain permission for spreading any propaganda or marketing material. 

A number of parents have complained about the credibility of schools in which their children are registering pointing out that there are various programs and events that were advertised, but were not actually offered by the school throughout the academic year. 

Khaled Al-Soqabi, whose son was registered in a secondary school in East Riyadh, says he has not seen or come across any of the facilities advertised by the school.

“There is a great deal of exaggeration in the advertisements of these schools,” he said. 

Muhammad Al-Harbi, who also echoed similar sentiments, called upon the ministry to set up a helpline number where people can call and report such inaccurate and inappropriate campaigns carried out by private schools so as to minimize irregularities.  

In a related development, the ministry has prevented its employees from making any media statements or publishing advertisements, stating that they should first refer the matter to the Department of Educational Media. 

The ministry’s endeavor is to work out a clear mechanism in cooperation with the media to provide clear and accurate information, pointing out the importance of the media’s role in raising awareness and highlighting the efforts exerted in the educational field. 

Dr. Ibrahim Abdullah Al-Misnid, director of education in Riyadh, reiterated the importance of not publishing any advertisements in newspapers without first referring to the management of the Department of Educational Media. 

The Ministry of Education is also moving toward imposing a number of penalties on private schools who exaggerate their school programs and accomplishments in their advertising material or advertise without the required licenses or permission. Penalties can include closure of the school.