The Ministry of Education has decided to terminate the services of 2,000 expatriate teachers at the beginning of the new school year and replace them with Saudi nationals.

Abdul Karim Gharsan Al-Zahrani, head of the teachers’ affairs at the ministry, told Arab News that the decision did not cover intermediate and secondary school teachers in specializations such as English, computer science and mathematics. The Ministry of Finance has already approved creation of 3,000 new posts at the Ministry of Education, he added. In another development, an official source said the ministry was re-evaluating conditions set for promotion of teachers. The ministry promoted 1,322 teachers from grade two to grade three last week, but its decision to deny promotion to those who joined later than Jamad Al-Awwal 27, 1420, sparked a controversy. Abdul Aziz Al-Mahmoud, director of personnel at the ministry, had said those who joined work after Jamad Al-Awwal 27 would not be considered for promotion. However, a number of teachers assigned to work in far-off regions claimed that the ministry was to blame for their joining late because the appointment order reached them later than the cut-off date. A probe has been ordered to find out the reasons that caused some teachers to report late, thus disqualifying them for promotion.