RIYADH – The Council of Ministers has approved a new salary scale for people working in the education sector. The Council also approved the decision of the minister of civil service to issue a new regulation for education jobs in one of the most important efforts to improve and upgrade the teaching profession, the Saudi Press Agency reported. Minister of Civil Service Sulaiman Bin Abdullah Al-Hamdan and Minister of Education Dr. Hamad Bin Muhammad Al-Asheikh, among others, thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman for approving the new regulation for education sector jobs and the related new wage scale. The two ministers along with the heads of pertinent education training and evaluation authorities are scheduled to hold a press conference, which will be transmitted on Al-Ekhbaria TV Channel at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday to highlight the important features of the new regulation. Al-Hamdan said the move is the result of the wise directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the close follow up by the Crown Prince to bring about a modern education system that suits the Kingdom's policies and ambitions, as education is the basis for the advancement of any society. Meanwhile, the minister of education stressed that the issuance of the new regulation and the salary scale reflects the leadership's special care and attention for education, and men and women working in the sector. He valued the leadership's limitless support for the education sector in their endeavor to achieve the great hopes and aspirations of the leadership and society in the staff in the education sector to build a human capital. He stressed that the education staff have the dearest thing to society – the sons and daughters, the students – so as to provide high quality education for the students and reassurance and peace of mind for the families. Al-Asheikh further said: "The education regulation is one of several basic elements the Ministry of Education is carrying out in partnership with the other related government authorities so as to develop and improve the general education system in the Kingdom, by building an education system that will contribute to giving a push forward to the wheel of the economy, enable the generations to gain knowledge and skills, and increase the opportunities for creativity, innovation, developing talents, building one's personality, enhance the role of the teacher and raise his qualifications." He added: "This regulation is part of a system for developing the education field the Ministry of Education is working on and implementing. It includes many initiatives and projects aiming to develop the education sector by focusing on professional and personal development for teachers so as to enhance their teaching and leadership capabilities and prepare the teaching staff for a continuous endeavor of skills development so as to adapt to the changes taking place in education." Al-Asheikh said the new regulation will replace the earlier education regulation issued in 1401H and will help keep pace with the changes the Kingdom is witnessing in general and the education sector in particular, especially after the launching of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 and its executive programs. He stressed that the importance of the new regulation lies in that it is comprehensive and has taken all the male and female teachers into consideration, as they form nearly half of those who come under the Civil Service system. It will contribute to creating an encouraging and motivating education and work environment, he said.
