The Ministry of Education will lower its acceptance rates at its education colleges by 50 percent in an endeavor to improve the quality of undergraduate education in the Kingdom. Education Minister Ahmad Al-Isa said the Education Colleges Development Committee had met with deans of education colleges in the Kingdom to discuss the enhancement of the education colleges' curricula and their quality. "The committee proposed to decrease the acceptance rate of education colleges by 50 percent in the coming academic year. I have approved the proposal and it shall be applied to both bachelor's and diploma programs in education," said Al-Isa. He also said the minimum GPA to apply for colleges of education is 85 percent, or 3.75 out of 5 or 2.75 out of 4 for graduates of the preparatory year. "Applicants will go through interviews and written exams as part of the application process. These requirements are expected to be applied by all education colleges for new applicants and for transfer students," said Al-Isa. He said students of master's programs in social sciences must pass with a minimum of 3.75 GPA in order to obtain the degree. "The new regulations are put in place to enhance the quality of education college graduates and future teachers in the Kingdom. There is a need in the teaching sector for qualified teachers. It is the job of the colleges of education to meet that need and it is the job of the Ministry of Education to facilitate the processes," said Al-Isa, while adding teachers play an essential role in building society. Public Education Evaluation Commission Deputy Governor Saleh Al-Shamrani said the new regulations conform to the commission's criteria for acceptance at education colleges. "The new regulations will finally regulate the teaching job market. There will be less teachers graduating but the graduates will be of better quality. That way, the waiting list for graduates seeking teaching positions will shorten," said Al-Shamrani.
