The management of a private school in the city has abruptly shut down the institution keeping students guessing about their future. Parents found out about the closure of Al-Wesam School in Al-Safa District here when they went there to deposit fees for the new academic year and to collect new uniforms and textbooks for their children. Some of the parents allege that the owner of the school was not taking their calls. They are worried because the school holds all the certificates and documents of their children, without which the students cannot be admitted to any other school. “I was living in an apartment next to the school and it was convenient for my daughter to study there. But recently I shifted to a new apartment and therefore I went to Al-Wesam School to get a transfer certificate. I was shocked to find it locked and there was no one to help me,” said Hind Al-Arifi, a Syrian housewife. “I have a feeling,” she continued “that the school's owner was a cheat. She kept on increasing the fees during the year and there was only one teacher to teach all subjects to the students.” A Ministry of Education official told Saudi Gazette that the ministry would give temporary papers to students so that they can be admitted to other schools. “After we find a solution with the owner of Al-Wesam school, we will give the families all the certificates and documents,” said Aamal Radwan, head of Private Education Management at the ministry's branch in Jeddah. The ministry, she said, decided to shut down the school at the end of the previous academic year because of several violations. The school's owner did not inform the families about the decision,” she added. “We will approach the school's owner and ask for the school to be reopened so that families can get their certificates and documents, said Radwan.
