JEDDAH: King Salman has announced that the Eid Al-Fitr school holiday will begin on Thursday, four days earlier than originally planned.
The revised date, based on a recommendation by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, applies to all school and university students.
The Ministry of Education said earlier that schools would remain open for the 24 days of Ramadan, before a 12-day Eid vacation. The last time the Kingdom’s schools were open during the holy month was nearly 15 years ago.
The move comes after a video appeared online of an 11-year-old schoolboy asking Education Minister Dr. Hamad Al-Asheikh to suspend school lessons during Ramadan.
The conversation took place at the opening ceremony for the third School League, a nationwide tournament for discovering new talent.
The child told Al-Asheikh it was “exhausting” to have to go to school during the holy month, but the minister replied by saying “a Ramadan school day is like any other school day.”
Footage of the brief conversation went viral on social media and prompted much debate.
Many people called for schools to close during Ramadan for the benefit of both teachers and students.
