Faisal, Emir of Makkah, announced Sunday that he has approved establishment of the “Khaled Al-Faisal Fund for Teaching the Holy Qur'an,” which will support the trend toward localization of jobs in Qur'an memorization circles. The Fund, which has 10 members representing government authorities and businessmen under the chairmanship of Prince Khaled, aims to localize jobs in Qur'an memorization circles and teaching of Qur'anic sciences in Makkah Region. Its functions include training Saudi nationals to teach the Holy Qur'an and its sciences from its original source; establishing an institute specializing in Qur'an sciences in order to graduate qualified Saudi nationals in teaching the Qur'an and its sciences; supporting the region's institutes affiliate with the Qur'an Memorization Society; establishing permanent endowments with a sustainable source of income for the Fund; and carrying out its programs to achieve its goals. Prince Khaled also approved the plan for Saudi male and female teachers to gradually replace male and female foreign teachers of the Qur'an Memorization Society in Makkah Region within three years, starting with 35 percent in the first year, 2011, 35 percent in the second year and the remaining 30 percent in 2013. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal discussed the plan in a meeting in his Jeddah office with Prince Abdullah Bin Fahd, undersecretary for Security Affairs at the Makkah Emir's Office; Dr. Abdullah Naseef, president of the Charitable Society for Memorization of the Holy Qur'an in Makkah Region and others. During the meeting, Prince Khaled gave the details of the plan presented by the committee he directed to be formed to support the Saudization of jobs in the Qur'an memorization circles. The plan would be executed in several steps including ensuring that the non-Saudi male or female teachers who will be working in the Charitable Society Memorization of the Holy Qur'an fulfill a number of conditions. Teachers should be working under the sponsorship of the Society, they should not be violators of the labor law, they should have a university degree or diploma in Qur'an Sciences and interpretation of the Qur'an or their equivalent, they should be of good conduct, their record should free of any crimes or security-related offenses, and they should be approved by the Emir's Office. The plan aims to create programs to attract male and female Saudi teachers, special programs to train Saudis, and ensure that education bodies should support the Society. In a related development, Nawaf Bin Abdul Muttalib Aal Talib, director of Charitable Society for Memorization of the Holy Qur'an in Makkah Region, said the Society needs 1,300 Saudi teachers. He added that Prince Khaled's decision is an important step in the Society working further to comply with regulations. Aal Talib said the Society supervises 80,000 students and it is reviewing 200 applications for opening new Qur'an memorization circles.
