RIYADH – Saudi Arabia's Shoura Council asked the Ministry of Education to reconsider its application of three semesters in Saudi universities and technical colleges affiliated to the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC). The council's demand is in line with following the best practices and global trends in the field of higher education, and consistent with the independence of universities according to their system of education. The council made this request during the deliberations of the ministry's annual report for the fiscal year 1442/1443 AH, after listening to the point of views of the Education and Scientific Research Committee under the council. The council called on the ministry to evaluate the application of the three-semester system in public education schools too so as to come out with recommendations whether to continue the system or revert to the mid-term system with the necessary amendments to it. The council also urged the ministry to reconsider the application of the tracks in public secondary schools in line with international best practices in the field of secondary education. The Shoura underlined the need for providing support to Saudi universities as well as to relevant authorities to provide a stimulating environment that ensures that Saudi faculty members do not drop out, and facilitates the recruitment of distinguished talents from among Saudis and non-Saudis. Dr. Aisha Arishi, a member, recommended for the ministry's support to raise financial allocations for operation, maintenance and cleaning in order to ensure facilitating appropriate educational environment in universities and public education schools. The council called on the ministry, in coordination with the relevant authorities, to speed up the process of recognizing e-education and training certificates (distance and blended education) similar to traditional programs in the classification process. Based on the content of an additional recommendation made by Dr. Muhammad Al-Jarba and Eng. Ibrahim Al-Daghrir, the council noted that the ministry, in coordination with the relevant authorities, should work to build similar models of Madinah's Taiba Educational City for Special Education in other regions of the Kingdom, according to the capabilities and needs of each region. This is essential to accommodate male and female students who are difficult to integrate into general education schools. The council stated that the Ministry of Education, in coordination with the Education and Training Evaluation Commission (ETEC), should work to improve the quality of qualification of teachers of the deaf at all educational levels, by focusing on the competencies related to Saudi Sign Language and developing the necessary assessment tools for this, through an additional recommendation submitted by members of the council.
