Prince Khalid Al Faisal

The Ministry of Education has confirmed that it will counter any form of violence against teachers and will protect their privileged status in society as educators and makers of future generations.

Strongly denouncing the recent attack on a teacher in Al Ahsa by a citizen, Education Minister Prince Khaled Al-Faisal stressed the importance of giving respect to teachers and their important role as guides for the youth.

The prince spoke to the teacher, Bassam Al-Abdullah, who was the victim of the assault, and emphasized that the ministry will follow up the case with the security and judicial authorities. He also said that any form of aggression toward employees of the Ministry of Education was unacceptable.

The minister’s remarks come amid the increasing cases of assaults by students’ parents on teachers and their properties recorded in a number of education departments across the country lately.

Abdulmalik Al-Zoubi, a social worker and academic expert attributed the alarming number of cases of violence in educational contexts to “a gap which exists between teachers and students.”

He said that the gap “is a result of poor family upbringing and teachers’ inexperience and immaturity as well as the ineffective implementation of regulations which should enhance and strengthen the value of teaching, the school and its employees.”

Al-Zoubi pointed out that the common perception about those who work in the teaching profession is that they are under-qualified for their jobs which lead to lack of respect for them on the part of the students.

He stressed that there should be efforts made to boost the prestigious status of teachers and inculcate ethical, intellectual and cultural awareness among students on respecting teachers by integrating these concepts in the school curriculum and through the family upbringing at large.

Mohammad Al-Harbi, a teacher said that students in general do not respect teachers because of the weak sanctions imposed on those who attack teachers verbally or physically.

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