The private schools commission at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry presented a proposal seeking to rephrase teachers’ contracts that could ultimately reduce the rate of social insurance.
The Ministry of Education, Ministry of Labor, Human Resources Development Fund and private schools Committee in the Chamber of Commerce started monitoring the application to raise the minimum wage to SR 5,000 in addition to a SR 600 transportation allowance.
Schools agreed to apply the decision but they still disagrees on paying the social insurance based on the SR 5,600 salary.
Ghazi Awad bin Taleb, the head of the private schools committee in JCCI, told Arab News that the proposal suggests a different structure for teachers’ salaries.
“Our suggestion is to keep the salaries at SR 5,600 — divided into SR 2,500 paid by human resources and SR 3,100 paid by schools. The change that we asked for will be in the contract itself. For example, the contract will be written as SR 1,500 teacher’s original salary, 600 transportation allowance and 1,000 as additional allowances. The social insurance will be paid based on the original salary, which is only SR 1,500. Therefore, teachers will pay 9 percent and the school will pay 11 percent of the original salary,” he said.
He added: “In a such scenario, total social insurance will be reduced with both schools ad teachers benefiting.”
According to Bin Taleb, changing the contract is needed due to several reasons.
“Teachers’ financial dues are usually paid based on the latest salary paid to the teacher. For example, if a teacher gets SR 1,500, and in the latest month of her or his service got SR 5,600, then resigned, he/she will get the financial dues based on the SR 5,600 not based on the SR 1,500. We think that such contract is unfair. Therefore, we suggest the HRDF, MoE and MoL to end the old contract and pay financial dues to teachers, then restart with new contacts,” he said.
Many private schools shut down because they were unable to pay the teachers new salaries. Other schools increased the salaries for teachers, but also increased tuition.
“Many private schools shut down as they considered the latest development a negative phenomenon in the Saudi education system,” said bin Taleb. “Other private schools started refusing intake of new students due to large number of students they already had.”
He added: “Government schools witness high demands from both Saudi and expatriate students, which also caused crowding.”
New contract with teachers could cut social insurance
New contract with teachers could cut social insurance
Saudi participants highlight traditions, heritage in Milan
- Artigiano in Fiera is one of world’s leading exhibitions dedicated to handicrafts, traditional arts
MILAN: The Saudi national pavilion has concluded its participation at Milan’s Artigiano in Fiera, one of the world’s leading exhibitions dedicated to handicrafts and traditional arts.
Organized under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture, the pavilion brought together several Saudi cultural and tourist entities to present the Kingdom’s heritage, creativity and living traditions to an international audience, while positioning Saudi Arabia as a growing cultural and tourist destination.
Participating entities included the Heritage Commission, the Theater and Performing Arts Commission, the Culinary Arts Commission, the Royal Institute of Traditional Arts (Wrth), the Royal Commission for AlUla, the Saudi Tourism Authority, and the Saudi Artisanal Company.
More than 140 Saudi participants took part, including artisans, chefs, and traditional performing arts groups and musicians, the Saudi Press Agency said.
The pavilion placed particular emphasis on the Ministry of Culture’s Year of the Handicrafts initiative of 2025. A dedicated section showcased Saudi handicrafts and their cultural significance, with 25 artisans demonstrating traditional crafts such as bisht tailoring, agal weaving, rosary making, incense burner crafting, and Sadu weaving.
Students from Wrth also took part, with 20 artisan trainees presenting their work, which included Al-Qatt Al-Asiri, traditional pottery, hand embroidery, and woodcraft.
The Saudi Artisanal Company displayed a selection of its handmade products, highlighting the quality and diversity of contemporary Saudi craftsmanship rooted in tradition.
Hospitality formed a central part of the pavilion’s offering, with presenters welcoming visitors with coffee and guiding them through the various sections.
Guests explored traditional culinary products such as dates and their derivatives, Saudi coffee, and signature dishes prepared by Saudi chefs, who shared recipes and hosted live cooking demonstrations.
The pavilion’s program was complemented by performances from two Saudi traditional performing arts groups.
Saudi Arabia’s participation in Artigiano in Fiera builds on its previous appearances at the exhibition and reflects the Kingdom’s broader commitment to cultural exchange.
By sharing its crafts, cuisine and performing arts on a global platform, Saudi Arabia continues to use culture as a means of dialogue, reinforcing its role as an active contributor to the international cultural landscape.
