Saudi Gazette The education of the children in the Kingdom is at the forefront of the Custodian of the two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah's concerns and future plans. In response to the King's emphasis on improving the physical structure and the quality of education of the nation's schools, the Ministry of Education (MoE) recently approved 900 girls' and boys' schools, proposed to be completed for the year 2012/2013 at a total cost of SR 6 billion. Some of the projects are new school buildings which are to be designed and built from scratch, others involve renovation and revamping while some will add new adjacent buildings to the schools that are in good condition but overcrowded with children. The Minister of Education, Prince Faisal Bin Abdullah Bin Muhammad, revealed in a press release earlier this week that the ministry is moving in the direction of transforming the nation's schools into environments that foster learning, are more attractive to students, meet their needs, and accommodate higher numbers of students. A company specialized in school designs has been created under the umbrella of Education Development Holding Company, which is a governmental body set up to implement strategies that will bring a wide range of improvements to the nation's schools. A major portion of the new school plans include the installation of grass fields, gyms, large halls that could be used for a multitude of purposes, and auditoriums. The MoE has adopted a new strategy to maintain school buildings and properties in good condition. It has announced that any student, boy or girl, who deliberately damages, spoils, or vandalizes any part of the school property, will be obligated to cover the expenses of repairing the damage. Additional improvements include installation of fire extinguishers in every school and routine inspections to make sure that the fire extinguishers are functioning. Regular inspections will also ensure that fire safety exits at schools are available, easily accessible, and are not blocked or closed. Recommendations also state that the entrances to staircases and corridors should not be congested with too much artwork or any other obstacles that may impede movement in case of an emergency. To be partners in solving the water scarcity problem in the country and to preserve this valuable source of life, the MoE also educated school administrations on the importance of implementing basic water conservation practices and creating awareness among students and teachers. __
