Kindergartens and primary schools are demanding that new kindergarten students and first graders have separate passports in order to be able to enroll electronically.

“The new regulation is aimed at creating a more efficient system for documenting student data on the new electronic system, ‘Noor Education Management’,” said Mubarak Al-Usaimi, spokesman of the Education Ministry.

Al-Usaimi said divorced mothers who are not in possession of passports can use their official family documentation to register.

“It is imperative that the information provided in both Arabic and English match the information on the passport,” he said. “This will facilitate data transfer in the event students later decide to study abroad.”

“There have been more than 50,000 passports issued for Saudi children under the age of 10 since the beginning of the year,” said Col. Ahmed Lhaidan, spokesman of the Passport Department.