Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The activities of the first Saudi women’s scout camp in the Kingdom, organized by the Ministry of Education, are progressing well in Al-Baha.

Nearly100 girl student scouts and scouting leaders, representing nine educational administrations from different regions and governorates of Saudi Arabia, are participating in the scouting activities. The scouting camp is aimed at promoting national values, instilling volunteerism and altruism, as well as developing life skills among girl students of public education, Al-Arabiya.net reported.

Dr. Ayman Al-Faridi, advisor to deputy minister of education for educational programs and assistant director general of scouts’ activity administration at the ministry, said that this camp is the nucleus of the women’s scout camps that will be hosted in all regions of Saudi Arabia. “The activities of the camp will be moved next week to the Asir region, and then to Al-Ahsa with the objective of developing scouting activities, promoting national values, instilling volunteerism and life skills among girl students of public education institutions,” she said.

Though scouting was officially founded in Saudi Arabia in 1961, the scouting activities are mostly limited among the Saudi school boy students and expatriate students. The Saudi Arabian Boy Scouts Association is the national scouting organization in the Kingdom.

The association, which became a member of the World Organization of the Scouts Movement in 1963, has more than 20,000 members. The association aims to promote the Scout ideals of courage, self-reliance and brotherhood apart from the Scout motto of “Be prepared.”

It is noteworthy that the Ministry of Education unveiled in June 2021 its plans to officially introduce scouting activities in all the three phases of girls’ schools in the Kingdom. Deputy Minister of Education Dr. Saad Aal Fehaid had issued a circular to all the education administrations in the regions and governorates asking them to provide the Scouts Activity Administration at the ministry with a report on the previous initiatives in the field of scouting activities for girls, if any. The report should also include a list of the women officials delegated the responsibility of supervising the activities of girl guides at the Education Administration; it was pointed out in the circular.