RIYADH — It is not mandatory for girls schools to introduce sports programs, Education Minister Azzam Al-Dakhil has clarified. Asked if the ministry has any intention of introducing sports in girls schools, the minister said: “NO.” Last year the Shoura Council asked the Education Ministry to consider including sports for girls in state-run schools with the proviso they should conform to Shariah rules on dress and gender segregation. A ban on sports in private girls schools was officially lifted in 2013, though some of those schools had already been providing physical education classes for girls for years. Al-Dakhil met on Sunday the chief of the Presidency of Youth Welfare, Prince Abdullah Bin Massaad, during which they discussed sports activities in schools and universities. He said the merging of the ministries of education and higher education will augur well for the development of education and help provide sufficient facilities to support school sports. “We will benefit from qualified sports cadres in colleges and universities,” he added. The minister disclosed a number of incentives to support outstanding sportsmen in schools and universities. “I am sure we will witness good results from the cooperation between the ministry and the Presidency of Youth Welfare,” he said. Al-Dakhil said teams from the ministry will visit schools and universities to inspect their sports facilities with a view to further developing them. “I am looking forward to building a creative generation which is able to compete in various sports competitions,” he said. The meeting, which was attended by a number of heads of sports federations and sports journalists, discussed sports strategy in schools to promote school sports.
