RIYADH: The Shoura Council voted Monday to approve a national assessment plan for public schoolteachers to help enrich the learning environment in an increasingly digital age. The plan, submitted by Council member Khaled Al-Awaad, has suggested assessment rubrics and nationwide training courses to develop the performance of teachers in both traditional and virtual classrooms. Teachers who fail to meet standards or pass the training courses with proficiency will be removed from their teaching positions and placed in other government jobs suited to their academic achievement, the plan stated. Al-Awaad emphasized the importance of subjecting all teachers working at the Ministry of Education to professional assessment to develop their skills. During Monday's Shoura session, which was chaired by Shoura Council Speaker Abdullah Aal Al-Sheikh, the Council also heard members of the Education Committee discuss the annual report submitted by the Ministry of Education for the fiscal year 2007-2008. The Council approved all the recommendations made by the Education Committee and also discussed other recommendations made by the members to help alleviate the conditions of public education in the country. With the endorsement of the recommendations, the Council has reconciled the current and future requirements of education and the Kingdom's educational policy, said Muhammad Al-Ghamdi, the secretary general of the Council. The Shoura Council members agreed that the recommendations advanced by the Education Committee have considered the nature of Saudi society, its age, and its fast-changing dynamics, which would help for a better future, he added. The Shoura Council also recommended the immediate implementation of the Council of Minister's decision No 305, which tasked the private sector with schools' transportation. It also recommended gradual transformation to comprehensive education that ensures realization of education objectives and secures all necessary human and financial resources needed to meet those objectives.
