Okaz/Saudi Gazette DAMMAM — The Department of Education in the Eastern Province has produced a documentary urging children to preserve their textbooks after the end of the school year while a number of educationalists have warned them against throwing out books. The film, titled "The school book a blessing to be appreciated", is being circulated on social media with a view to educating students against tearing or throwing out their books. As many as 241,757 male and female students of the intermediate and secondary schools in the province started their final exams on Sunday. Saeed Al-Bahis, spokesman for the Eastern Province education department, said the film advised the students to return all their textbooks to the school after the final exams. A number of educationalists have asked the Ministry of Education to put an end to this phenomenon, which is being repeated every year without being checked. Students in an elementary school in Tabuk tore their textbooks and threw them haphazardly on the streets and on pedestrians. Footage of the incident went viral on social media. The ministry sacked the head of the school holding him responsible for the behavior of his students, but he said the decision was unfair and he would sue the ministry over the injustice. He said he had no control over the students once they leave the school premises. Minister of Education Ahmed Al-Issa ordered the formation of a committee under the ministry's undersecretary to study the issue of children tearing textbooks and to come up with suggestions to put an end to the annual phenomenon. The educationalists asked the ministry to codify laws that would compel the students to turn in all their textbooks to the school at the end of the academic year. They held the family, the school and the ministry responsible for the irresponsible behavior of students saying children should be enlightened about the importance of safekeeping books and other personal belongings. The educationalists said the book should be honored and respected instead of being torn up, thrown on the streets or dumped in the garbage bins. They said the handing over of books to the school should be made a binding condition for the students to receive their results or certificates. Mohammed Al-Harbe, an educational supervisor, told the business daily Al-Eqtisadiah that throwing away books after the final exams is a negative conduct, which the ministry should not tolerate. "Some books contain verses from the Holy Qur'an and the Prophet's Sayings and therefore throwing them away could be sacrilegious," he said. "The government spends a lot of money to print and distribute these books, and we cannot reward it for this noble job by tearing up or throwing away these books," he said. Abdullah Al-Subaie, a schoolteacher, said the delivery of books to the school after the final exams should be made obligatory on students who come to collect their results and certificates. "Special containers should be placed near schools where the students can deposit their books," he suggested.
