Okaz/Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — A number of parents in Jeddah have strongly criticized the Department of Education for not properly maintaining and repairing schools during the four-month-long summer vacation.

They said the department did not have a clear-cut plan for repair and maintenance, nor have the necessary modalities for carrying out the work.

The parents also accused the department for not having the sufficient manpower to carry out the repair and maintenance of school buildings and asked for empowering the schools through a supervisory committee under the school heads to execute the maintenance work during holidays.

The parents strongly rejected the tendency of the department to carry out the repair and maintenance work while the schools were open, saying this would have adverse effects on the students and the studies.

They suggested the recruitment of permanent maintenance workers to do the repair and maintenance work during the vacations.

The Department of Education, on its part, said a number of boys and girls schools in Jeddah were maintained and repaired during the summer vacation.

Abdullah Ahmed Al-Thaqafi, director of education in Jedddah, said as many as 650 school buildings were repaired during the vacation.

He said new air conditioners would be installed in the schools after the beginning of the academic year.

Thaqafi said the present maintenance contracts were extended by three months to prevent any overlapping with 10 new contracts to be signed this year.

He said the schools would be ready to receive the students for the new academic year, which begins on Sunday.