Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The current education system in Saudi Arabia was found by specialized teams to be in need for real and profound development and transformational change, Minister of Education Hamad Bin Mohammed Al-Sheikh said here on Wednesday.

Development of curricula and educational plans are key to boosting the performance of the education system and keep pace with the leadership's aspirations, Al-Sheikh said during a press conference held to discuss the major updates to the plan for the upcoming academic year.

The minister announced that new subjects will be added in the next academic year, in addition to the development of curricula, in order to keep pace with international best practices and achieve the goals of Vision 2030.

The minister explained that the new academic year will be divided into three semesters, and each will consist of 13 weeks, with a one-week break after each semester.

The number of holidays in the new academic year will reach 12, Al-Sheikh said, indicating that all the countries in the world have holidays more than the Kingdom; however, their summer holidays are less. He added that a long interruption is harmful to the educational process.

The development will not be limited to the overall system and will affect the plans and curricula of universities because the aim is to dispense with the preparatory year and to provide basic materials.

"We are looking forward to graduating Saudi citizens to become global competitors," Al-Sheikh said.