JEDDAH — Minister of Education Hamad Al-Sheikh emphasized that educational institutions should not be allowed to promote extremist ideologies. He said that there won't be any leniency and any violation in the intellectual and academic fields will be dealt with firmly. "We will neither allow dissemination of anything what is contrary to the policy and orientations of the State nor let educational institutions to serve purposes other than that of their national contexts," he said. The minister made the remarks while inaugurating the first virtual meeting of Saudi universities titled: "Enhancing National Belongingness to Crises," organized by the Prince Khaled Al-Faisal Institute for Moderation at King Abdulaziz University: "The role of universities is great in enhancing belongingness to the homeland through a set of appropriate programs and activities that help all its employees develop a sense of deep attachment and loyalty to the country and its leadership," he said. Al-Sheikh warned against the use of social media in disseminating what is contrary to the state's orientations, criticizing its policies, adopting partisan tendencies, or identifying with extremist ideas or groups that have been classified as terrorist groups, and other violations. Al-Sheikh also stressed that all the libraries, scientific references, theses submitted in postgraduate studies, or researches prepared for publication must be devoid of any reference to books belonging to extremist and terrorist ideologies, movements and outfits such as the Muslim Brotherhood and others. The minister pointed out that Saudi Arabia is among the countries that have a high level of social awareness, which was reflected in its dealing with the coronavirus crisis. He also lauded the role of universities after the decision to suspend school and university studies. "The figures speak of a high degree of national conscious among faculty members and students, which is represented in the ongoing lectures and final evaluations being carried out remotely without any interruptions," he added.
