Saudi education minister sets 100-day deadline for change, seeking better performance, quality

Al-Sheikh, who was in Riyadh, stressed the importance of studying the current status of education and overcoming the challenges facing its development. (SPA)
  • The minister pointed to the importance of addressing any possible imbalance in the distribution of schools and teachers, and any deficiency associated with the professional development of teachers

JEDDAH: The education minister on Saturday set a 100-day deadline to shake up teaching in the Kingdom, encouraging leaders in the sector to get away from their desks and out of the office.
Dr. Hamad bin Mohammed Al-Asheikh issued the challenge at a workshop assessing the status of the public education sector, its output and future work trends in order to achieve the goals laid out in the Vision 2030 reform plan.
Al-Sheikh, who was in Riyadh, stressed the importance of studying the current status of education and overcoming the challenges facing its development.
He gave education leaders 100 working days to achieve a different output by giving the sector more attention, away from office work as much as possible, and learning about all educational interactions away from desk reports.
The minister pointed to the importance of addressing any possible imbalance in the distribution of schools and teachers, and any deficiency associated with the professional development of teachers.
Educational output must be the main concern of every official, he told the workshop, and there must be a realistic and clear plan of action that did not get bogged down in useless and time-wasting theorization and strategies.
Workshop sessions were organized in groups and focused on the changes facing education such as privatization, financing, foreign competition and changes in labor market requirements.