JEDDAH – As the mid-term examinations began in secondary and middle schools all over the Kingdom on Sunday, primary school children started their winter break as per instructions from the minister of education. While the ministerial order covered the elementary level teachers in public schools who have started enjoying an early break, their counterparts in private schools have discovered that they have been left out. Informed sources said to Okaz/Saudi Gazette that more than 60,000 private school teachers are affected. The teachers criticized the decision by school managements not to grant them an early vacation. They are asking what they are supposed to do locked up behind the school walls while their classed remained empty. Although the Ministry of Education is the only authority that can determine the academic calendar, including the dates for school closure and opening, the teachers argued that there is no point in them reporting to work when their students enjoyed the vacation. Private school teachers who spoke to Okaz/Saudi Gazette said school owners and principals have threatened them with punishment if they do not come to work during the examination period. According to the teachers, they have been asked to report to work during the next two weeks even though their classrooms would remain empty. The teachers demand the Ministry of Education intervene to allow them the same privileges their peers in public schools enjoy. Fahad Al-Zahrani, a private school teacher, said the owner of his school had told them during a meeting that vacation order does not cover them. "We have been assigned examination duties at secondary and middle school levels," he said.
