DAMMAM: The Ministry of Education has barred schools from sending female pupils on academic visits and programs abroad without its prior approval. The ministry has issued a circular to all schools informing them of new regulations governing school activities, including a bar on sending female pupils abroad, heeding Shariah rulings, and “ensuring the privacy of women in the places they visit so that they are free of males and that photography is completely banned”. The circular states that visits to public places by female students must be conducted in groups and not individually, and that “appropriate drivers be selected for their good conduct and knowledge of the sites”. Prior permission must also be obtained from parents. The regulations further require female supervisors to accompany the pupils during all their activities, with primary schools to provide one supervisor for every ten pupils, and intermediate and secondary schools to provide one per every 15. If those ratios cannot be met, the circular says, the visit is cancelled. Expenses for such activities must not be “excessive” and should come from budgets for educational programs, the circular says. Parents should not be required to contribute financially and activities must take place during official hours. The ministry rules further bar visits to “any places that might constitute a danger of any type, such as open beaches, swimming pools, hospitals, wells, and high land”, and organizers should check beforehand weather forecasts and advice from meteorological authorities.
