The Ministry of Education closes the "Transport Opportunities" program and sets 5 criteria for selection

0 0 2 minutes

The Ministry of Education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is preparing to officially close the application process for the “Opportunities” program tomorrow, Thursday. This program is the current official channel for transferring those holding educational positions, thus putting an end to the application period and immediately beginning the sorting and verification phase.

This step comes as part of the Ministry’s ongoing efforts to regulate human resources within the education sector, where the Ministry has adopted five precise criteria for the final selection, through which it aims to resolve the competition between applicants in the event of a tie in points, in order to ensure the highest levels of fairness and transparency in selecting the most suitable competencies for the vacant positions.

Selection criteria: Priority given to professional competence

In a qualitative shift reflecting the ministry's orientation towards prioritizing competence over mere seniority, the ministry adopted a strict mechanism for resolving the tie in case of a general points tie between applicants, and the ranking of the criteria was as follows:

The specialization test (professional license): It tops the criteria to be the strongest factor in weighing, reflecting the ministry’s keenness on the teacher’s scientific competence.
The general educational test: It comes as a second criterion, to ensure familiarity with modern educational methods.
Job performance: The average performance of the past two years is used to reinforce the value of discipline and continued excellence.
Punctuality in attendance: Preferring the fewest days of absence without excuse.
Start date: It comes as a last resort to resolve the conflict based on seniority.

Context of developing and improving the quality of education

The “Opportunities” program is not merely a transfer tool, but rather part of a broader strategy adopted by the Ministry of Education to achieve the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 in the education sector. These initiatives aim to redistribute educational expertise geographically and equitably, addressing the needs of various regions with qualified and professionally licensed staff, thus directly contributing to improved learning outcomes and a better school environment.

Strict regulations for contract teachers

Regarding teachers appointed on a contract basis, the Ministry has set specific controls that require them to look for job opportunities within their educational administration exclusively, with the requirement of having a job performance evaluation for the previous two years, in order to ensure the stability of the educational process in the areas where they were appointed based on the spatial need.

Exempt categories and admission requirements

The ministry confirmed that applications are conditional upon submission through the official system before the deadline, with specific categories excluded to ensure immediate readiness to commence work. These exclusions include:

Those who are in the probationary period.
Those enjoying study or exceptional leave.
Scholarship recipients, delegates, and seconded students.
Those who have been issued decisions to suspend or remove them from teaching.

The ministry also imposed a five-year ban on those who previously benefited from the program, starting from the date they took the previous opportunity, in order to allow the largest possible number of beneficiaries and to rotate job opportunities fairly.