Riyadh — The Shoura Council on Monday called on the Ministry of Education to review the reform strategy of education, adopt a unified and integrated plan for educational initiatives and increase internal scholarships to raise enrollment in higher education. The Shoura Council asked the Ministry of Education to conduct a study to find a solution to accommodate the graduates of community colleges and the College of Education in the public and private sector in cooperation with the Ministries of Civil Service, Labor and Social Development and the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry. The Council also approved the 20-article school transport regulation during the session chaired by its Chairman Dr. Abdullah Al-Asheikh. The articles of the regulation aim to provide secure means of transportation and ensure the safety of schoolboys and girls and teachers on buses to and from school. It called for the setting up of a B.Sc program in midwifery. It called for setting up a national program to create awareness and combat deviant thought in general and higher education. The Council also called for drafting a national program for developing talents, excellence, and creativity in general and higher education, as well as developing criteria for establishing universities and colleges in line with the Kingdom's Vision 2030. It called on the ministry to coordinate with the Commission for Evaluating Education to present a detailed periodic report on the status of general and higher education. It also called for raising the criteria for signing contracts with expatriate professors in government and private universities at par with Saudis. The ministry was also asked to present a detailed scientific study on the added value presented by the Education Development Holding Company and its affiliate companies to raise the quantity and quality of services provided to students with special needs, to create support services centers for special education, to support the private sector and provide facilities, to study international experiences for the setting up of a commission for scientific research and innovation, to coordinate with universities and pertinent authorities for study laying down a mechanism for employing qualified Saudis having post-graduate degrees in Saudi universities.
