New law requires Indian schools in Saudi Arabia to teach local history and geography

News Network
December 13, 2022

Riyadh, Dec 13: The Saudi Ministry of Education is giving the finishing touches to the bylaw regulating the functioning of private schools in the Kingdom.

According to the bylaw, it is mandatory for private schools that follow a foreign curriculum including Indian curriculum to teach the history and geography of Saudi Arabia. These schools shall teach Saudi students national identity as a subject in the curriculum. Punitive measures, including fines of up to SR500000, will be taken against violators of the regulations.

It is permissible for the private sector and the non-profit sector to provide education services in various phases of general education by applying quality standards, and improving the level of performance and outputs through private schools.

Teachers in private schools are required to obtain a valid professional license issued by the Saudi Education and Training Evaluation Commission.

The regulations state that Saudis or foreign investors can apply for a license to run foreign schools. Saudis and foreign investors can also apply together in partnership between them. Public interest entities can also apply for a license.

According to the new bylaw, the applicant must obtain a commercial registration necessary to practice the activity beforehand and must not have previously faced disciplinary action while serving in a government or private school.

If the applicant is a foreign investor, he or she must have obtained a license from the Ministry of Investment, in addition to proof of previous experience in extending educational services. The investment license must cover educational activities and services.

If the owner of the establishment fails to meet one of the conditions stipulated in the bylaw, they may transfer the licensing right to another person who fulfills these conditions within a period of three months or the end of the school year whichever is earlier, after obtaining permission from the Ministry of Education.

The new bylaw obligates private schools to appoint a principal and qualified educational and administrative staff in accordance with the size of the school and to formulate rules with regard to tuition fees and the mechanism for collecting them.

It is permissible for a private school to request an amendment in the academic calendar in accordance with the rules set by the Ministry of Education. In the event schools receive incentives, subsidies, or financial loans, a balance sheet of revenues and expenditures shall be prepared and deposited in a special account.

The bylaw stipulates that the Ministry of Education approves incentives to enable and encourage the practice of providing educational services by private schools in accordance with the rules for incentives approved by the relevant authorities. These include assistance in cash and kind, technical subsidies, and the use of land, buildings, and state-owned buildings in the education sector as per an investment or usufruct agreement concluded by the ministry or its representative with the beneficiary of the subsidy.

According to the bylaw, infringement of its provisions and rules, offending the religion of Islam, Saudi Arabia, its leaders and public figures, and the breach of intellectual security of society or health and safety requirements are punishable violations.

Punitive measures will be taken against the offenders. There will be one or more penalties, taking into account the situation of students during the academic year. The penalties include a warning and suspension of new admissions until the violation is corrected, which is mandatory within 14 days from the date of serving a warning notice. The school may face a fine not exceeding SR500,000, final closure of school or revocation of its license, and deportation of the school principal or any one of its teachers.

The size of the violation and its recurrence is taken into account when imposing the penalties. The size of the school, the quality of its outputs, and its community participation in difficult conditions are also considered. An appeal to the minister against decisions issued with regard to the penalties is permissible within a month of its issuance.

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News Network
November 15,2024

Udupi: The Tourism Department is planning a major eco-friendly development initiative for Kamini Island, located near the Blue Flag-certified Padubidri End Point beach, aiming to attract more visitors while maintaining environmental sustainability.

Assistant Director Kumar CU emphasized that, given the island’s proximity to the Blue Flag beach, all development efforts will center around eco-friendly practices. “We are looking to enhance the Kamini River and the island’s surroundings by adding a hanging bridge, nature trails, and eco-friendly food courts offering traditional cuisine. Visitors will also be able to reach the island by pedal boats or kayaking,” he said.

The development project is estimated to cost between Rs 3 crore and Rs 4 crore. Meanwhile, the Blue Flag beach, Padubidri, continues to see a steady flow of visitors. Vijay Shetty, manager of the beach, shared that tenders for food courts and water sports have been awarded to private parties. Recently, three new coracles have been introduced, which are proving to be a hit with visitors. Additionally, three more shelters are expected to be ready by November 20.

Shetty mentioned that the beach can now accommodate between 2,500 and 3,000 visitors daily, although footfall remains lower than other district beaches due to user fees and activity restrictions. “Initially, most visitors were from Mangaluru, but now nearly 40% come from other districts, showing a shift in the visitor demographics,” Shetty noted.

To further boost tourism and promote a healthy lifestyle, a Beach Carnival is set to take place on November 23-24, featuring the National Sea Swimming Championship and a sea marathon in collaboration with the Padubidri JCI, which is celebrating its golden jubilee. Cultural events will be held at the main beach, with some sports events taking place at the Blue Flag beach. Emphasis will be placed on making all activities environmentally friendly.

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News Network
November 21,2024

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Shares of Adani Group companies lost about $28 billion in market value in morning trade on Thursday after US prosecutors charged the billionaire chairman of the Indian conglomerate in an alleged bribery and fraud scheme.

Gautam Adani's flagship company Adani Enterprises tumbled 23 per cent, while Adani Ports, Adani Total Gas, Adani Green, Adani Power, Adani Wilmar and Adani Energy Solutions, ACC , Ambuja Cements and NDTV fell between 20 per cent and 90 per cent.

Adani group's 10 listed stocks had a total market capitalisation of about $141 billion at 0534 GMT, compared to $169.08 billion on Tuesday.

US authorities said Adani and seven other defendants, including his nephew Sagar Adani, agreed to pay about $265 million in bribes to Indian government officials to obtain contracts expected to yield $2 billion of profit over 20 years, and develop India's largest solar power plant project.

Adani Green in a statement on Thursday said the US Justice Department had issued a criminal indictment against board members Gautam Adani and Sagar Adani and the Securities and Exchange Commission had issued a civil complaint against them.

The US Justice Department also included Adani Green board member Vneet Jaain in the criminal indictment, it said.

Adani Green's units had decided not to proceed with the proposed US dollar denominated bond offerings due to developments, it added.

"Investors will shy away from Adani Group stocks ... and that's what this sharp selling is signifying," said Saurabh Jain, assistant vice president of retail equities research at SMC Global Securities.

"This could hurt the credibility of the group and maybe borrowing costs will rise," he said.

The indictment comes nearly two years after US shortseller Hindenburg Research alleged that Adani had improperly used tax havens and was involved in stock manipulation, allegations the conglomerate denied.

Also in early Asian trading on Thursday, Adani dollar bonds slumped, with prices down 3c-5c on bonds for Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone. The falls were the largest since the Adani Group came under a short-seller attack in February 2023.

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News Network
November 12,2024

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The Palestinian Hamas resistance movement says its fighters have killed at least 20 Israeli soldiers in northern parts of the besieged Gaza Strip in just two days, in retaliation for the occupying regime’s genocidal war on the Palestinian territory.

In a statement on Monday evening, Hamas said that fighters of its military wing, al-Qassam Brigades, “killed at least five occupation soldiers” in northern parts of the coastal territory earlier in the day.

It added that Hamas fighters also killed 15 Israeli soldiers in the war-ravaged region on Sunday.

The resistance movement’s “qualitative operation … confirms once again the failure of the criminal Zionist entity to suppress and eradicate the Palestinian resistance, which continues to direct qualitative strikes against its terrorist soldiers,” Hamas further said on its Telegram channel.

Palestinians have increased their resistance operations in the face of intensified Israeli aggression in northern Gaza that has claimed the lives of more than 1,000 over the past weeks.

“Our valiant resistance is waging a war of attrition with the criminal enemy, inflicting daily losses on its soldiers and vehicles, and all of [Israeli prime minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s bets and dreams of achieving any of his goals are failing,” the Gaza-based resistance movement added.

Hamas also vowed that Israel’s ongoing crimes and aggression against Gaza would be met with increased resistance and painful strikes, which will continue until the aggression against Palestinians ends and the regime fully withdraws from the blockaded territory.

As the war in Gaza enters its 14th month, the Health Ministry reports that Israeli attacks have killed at least 43,603 Palestinians and wounded 102,929 others.

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