The Education Ministry is in the process of launching a new project which involves the distribution of coupons to kindergartens and special education facilities guaranteeing the provision of free and high quality education to pre-school children.

The project will be carried out with the participation of the King Abdullah Public Education Development Project (Tatweer) and the private sector while the cost of the coupons will be covered by the Education Ministry. The ministry will also evaluate the services provided and determine the sums of money to be allocated for the program.

The education coupons project will be implemented during the coming period with the aim to generate employment for Saudi and female teachers in the private sector. It will also contribute to rationalyzing government expenditure on public education at kindergarten level and special education programs.

Moreover, it will realize the state’s objectives to increase children’s enrollment rates, offer equal education opportunities and encourage the private sector to participate in the development of public and special education. Tatweer explained to Education Minister Prince Khaled Al-Faisal that the average number of education coupons for kindergartens stands at 7,600 a year if the ministry bore the whole cost by 100 percent. The estimated number of coupons for kindergartens will amount to 13,600 if the ministry bore 50 percent of the costs.

On the other hand, the number of education coupons for special education facilities will amount to 10,857 coupons a year.

The Education Ministry has put in place a plan to increase the number of kindergartens in Saudi Arabia during the next five years by establishing 1,500 government kindergartens or 300 kindergartens every year, an increase of 100 percent, in addition to the employment of 3,500 female graduates in the same specialty. This will increase the number of female kindergarten teachers to 18,691 teachers in addition to exploiting teachers of other specialties after they undergo the necessary training, which will put their number at 24,191 teachers in total.

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