JEDDAH: The textbook which was meant for teaching history to students in the ninth grade has been banned by the Education Ministry from international schools which describes Palestinians who resist Israeli occupation as “terrorists.”
Education Ministry spokesman Mubarak Al-Osaimi said that “all textbooks of foreign schools come from abroad after being authorized by the Ministry of Information and Culture”.
He also said that “all private and international schools come under the purview of the Ministry of Education”.
Al-Osaimi explained that.“There is a supreme committee that monitors irregularities of foreign schools. At the same time, this committee has the full right to recommend punishments if it finds any violation”, he said.
Qatar and Bahrain schools has also withdrawn the textbook that calls Palestinian hijackers ‘terrorists’.
Qatar’s education ministry tweeted on Monday that the book was found to “carry content that conflicted with Qatar’s foreign policy.”
“The school was issued a firm warning, copies of the book were withdrawn and students were refunded fees paid for this book,” the ministry added. “The school was also instructed that it is imperative that the ministries approval be obtained before any book can be taught.”
According to the conditions set by the Foreign and Private Education Department at the Ministry of Education the Foreign schools are supposed to teach Arabic, Islamic civilization, and Saudi history and geography.
A director of an international school, Mussa Al-Sa’adawi, said all textbooks are reviewed by the special committee to ensure they comply with the country’s policy. A number of procedures are taken to import books from abroad. One of these measures is that textbooks must be authorized by Saudi government authorities.
He said that “each international school selects the kind of books the students will study, but these books must not violate the educational regulations of the Kingdom.”