A classroom in Al Darrah public school in Abha, Saudi Arabia. The decision is consistent with an order issued by Yousef bin Abdullah Al Benyan, Education Minister, and is in harmony with the ministry's larger attempts to govern the publication of educational news and material.
The Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia has ordered all official social media accounts managed by public schools, institutes and offices of education in the entire Kingdom to shut down, in a major step taken to streamline communication and ensure uniformity in the passing on of information.
The action is consistent with a directive signed by Yousef bin Abdullah Al Benyan, the Minister of Education, and is consistent with the ministry's general attempt to control the publication of educational news and information.
In the future, all updates, announcements, and news released by the education institutions will be released solely through the official accounts of the regional education departments and the ministry as a whole.
The ministry said that the move is a part of an approach to improve the accuracy of information, defend institutional credibility, and lower the risk of misinformation or spreading unverified material on social media platforms.
It is also consistent with the Kingdom's vision for digital governance and administrative efficiency. Individual schools and education offices used to have individual accounts to post announcements, event coverage and updates with parents, students and employees.
