Saudi says students who are not vaccinated will be considered absent

Students over the age of 12 in Saudi Arabia will require to be vaccinated to be admitted back to school, the Ministry of Education has confirmed.

Minister of Education Dr Hamad Al-Sheikh, welcoming the return of teachers to schools starting from Sunday, August 22, stressed that students who do not take both the doses of the vaccine will not be permitted inside campuses, local media reported.

“University students and those of the like who have not completed two doses of the vaccine will not be allowed to attend, and their registration will be suspended. They will be considered absent until the second dose is completed,” Arab News quoted him as saying.

“Middle and high school students who have completed two doses are required to attend educational facilities, and those who did not complete the two dose vaccination will be considered absent until the two dose vaccination is completed.”

In a meeting on Saturday with regional education directors, Al-Sheikh said it was their responsibility to following up on implementing the approved operational models. He also directed education directors to conduct field visits to schools this week to determine their readiness in terms of maintenance, the availability of sterilisation tools and the application of precautionary measures.

“We urge our sons and daughters, their parents, teachers, and faculty members to be careful and take the initiative to take the vaccine,” he added.

Saudi Arabia reported 409 new Covid-19 cases and 11 additional deaths on Saturday.

The kingdom has administered more than 33.6 million Covid-19 vaccine doses so far, with over 61.19 per cent of its population now inoculated with at least one dose.