The Ministry of Education has rejected a report claiming that it had endorsed Zumba classes for girls at schools in Jeddah.

“The claim has not been proven, and the person known as a trainer has nothing to do with education and is not a ministry staff member,” the ministry said in a statement recently.

“We assure the public that all student events at girl schools take place according to ministry regulations and society's traditions. They are always attended by education supervisors and officials who have never seen such a thing,” the ministry said.

On Tuesday, an Arabic language daily published in the Eastern Province carried a report with the headline: “Jeddah schools resort to Zumba at their parties.”

The report said that some girl schools in Jeddah have been seeking the help of a Zumba coach for their parties to break the monotony and routine of school life.

The newspaper named the coach as Alia Adil, whom it described as a well-known Zumba coach who has run over 200 sessions at school events in Jeddah. The paper quoted her as saying that Zumba was effective in burning calories, improving fitness and losing weight.

Zumba is a dance fitness program created by Alberto “Beto” Perez, a Colombian dancer and choreographer, during the 1990s. It involves dance and aerobic elements, including hip-hop, soca, samba, salsa, merengue and mambo.