Abdullah Al-Dhubyani Okaz/Saudi Gazette MAKKAH/TABUK/MADINAH — The Ministry of Education has made the necessary preparations and arrangements for the reopening of schools next week. More than 5 million students are expected to attend classes when the new academic year commences next Saturday. Hamad Bin Mohammed Aal Al-Sheikh, Deputy Minister of Education for Boys' Education, said the ministry had carried out necessary maintenance work during the summer vacation and renovated numerous schools. “The ministry has removed all obstacles which contractors faced and hampered the progress of their work. This move permitted them to complete their jobs on time,” he said. Muhammad Bin Mahdi Al-Harithy, Director of Education at Al-Laith, said at the beginning of the new academic year, all schools draw up plans to ensure the smooth flow of the academic year. In Madinah, Khaled Al-Wassidi, Director General of Education, said his administration had asked the education offices at Badr, Al-Hanakyia, Khaybar and Wadi Al-Fara governorates to double their efforts in the service of students. Speaking on the negative impact of the holidays on the performance of students, Yahya Muhammad Al-Attawi, Head of the Students' Guidance Department in Tabuk, said, “The holidays in general and long vacations in particular have an adverse impact on students. It will take students some time to adjust their biological clocks and wake up early. Long vacations also mean students forget a lot of the stuff they previously learned.”
