Culture & Education | Tuesday 12 May, 2015 1:40 am |

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has stressed the need for quality in education in line with the development plans and needs of the labor market and also for sustainable development, said Public Education Evaluation Commission (PEEC) Gov. Naif Al-Roomi.

He made this observation at a special forum hosted by the organization on Sunday with 132 participants from government entities and the private sector to discuss a national framework of reference for public education curriculum standards.
Quoting the country’s principles, Al-Roomi said: “Improvement is a state commitment since its formation and will continue, according the development of our society, and in accordance with our religious principles and social values that preserve the rights of all segments of society.”

The high-profile event was attended by national figures from ministries and government institutions, heads of universities and academic research centers, in addition to eminent educationists.
Al-Roomi said: “The country’s leaders are looking forward to the contribution of everyone in pushing the development wheel, and your participation in today’s meeting comes in recognition of your responsibility to guide the development of educational curricula in the Kingdom.”

He continued: “The formation of the national identity with these approaches is a shared responsibility for all members of the community in order to achieve a high-quality outcome, and to actively participate in sustainable development for the preservation of the national identity, which represents the main objective of the commission.”
He said the aim is to guide future curriculum standards according to scientific operations, including helping students imbibe the ideas of the Islamic faith and national identity, with participation in promoting the economic and competitive capacity of the Kingdom in the era of the knowledge economy.

Last week, 30,000 students in Grades 3 and 6 in 650 schools across the Kingdom underwent nationwide tests in science and mathematics. The tests were designed to provide accurate information to decision makers and those involved in teaching that would help them to raise the quality of education.