JEDDAH: The Saudi Ministry of Education’s recent decision to keep schools open during Ramadan has divided people in their response.
Under the newly announced three-term academic year — replacing the previous two-semester year — Saudi students will continue going to school for the 24 days of the holy month, before a 12-day Eid vacation. The last time schools in Saudi Arabia were open during Ramadan was nearly 15 years ago.
Nearly a week ago, the ministry approved flexible timing in schools for the upcoming holy month of Ramadan, with the schooldays to start between 9 and 10 in the morning and class hours to be 35 minutes.
The ministry also granted the education departments in all the regions the right to decide when school days start, However, it said they must coordinate with the concerned government authorities in their own regions or governorates. It also announced that the Eid Al-Fitr vacation for students would begin on April 26.
There were lively discussions on social media platforms, particularly Twitter, after a video appeared of a schoolboy asking the education minister to suspend school in Ramadan.
During the opening ceremony of the third School League, a nationwide tournament for discovering talents, the student asked the Minister of Education, Dr. Hamad Al-Asheikh, if it was possible to stop schools during Ramadan. The minister said it wasn’t. The child failed to convince the minister with his comment that ‘‘it’s exhausting.”
“A Ramadan school day is like any other school day,” the minister told him.
The short conversation between the top education official and the 11-year-old went viral on the Internet, provoking differing opinions.
Some people demanded a suspension of schools during Ramadan as they feared it would bring about poor performance from both the teachers and their students. They said the decision would affect the overall outcome of the educational process if the ministry insisted on putting it into effect.
Abdulsalam Al-Muneef, a columnist at Makkah newspaper wrote: “Both teachers and students agree that studying in Ramadan constitutes an obstacle in the educational process in one way or another for the two sides.”
The columnist said that the education ministry was keen on the quality and outcome of its educational system.
“Some may justify the necessity of studying in Ramadan based on illogical considerations, especially when comparing the students today to those of three decades ago. Several factors must be considered when making such unfair comparisons,” he said.
Others said that leaving a gap in the educational system was unacceptable but called for remote learning using the ministry’s digital capacities.
“The ministry has repeatedly claimed that the Madrasati platform was a success during the pandemic. Why wouldn’t our children continue learning through this ‘effective’ platform?” Mohammed Abdurrahman, a father of four students, said to Arab News.
“This way, our students can continue their education and enjoy the spirituality of the month with their families,”
Basim Felimban, a father of two intermediate school students, said that Ramadan and work are never in contradiction.
Recalling the time he was a student in Taif 28 years ago, Felimban said it was a joy.
“We used to have suhoor (pre-dawn meal), perform Fajr prayers, and have nearly a three-hour sleep before heading to our schools. The students’ behavior in a Ramadan school day is generally characterized by calmness and tranquility. The loud noises some students normally make disappear in Ramadan,” he said.
