His Excellency the Deputy Minister of Education for Universities, Research and Innovation, Dr. Muhammad bin Ahmed Al-Sudairi, stressed that the ministry’s plan to transform the academic year from two semesters to three semesters within the new academic calendar. It comes within the framework of developing the education system and raising the level of efficiency of the educational process, in line with the best international practices.
His Excellency commended the new system which will contribute to achieving the goals of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 and the goals of the Human Capability Development Program, as well as meeting the needs of the future, the skills of the twenty-first century, and the requirements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. He indicated that the three-semester system targets the appropriate investment for the days of the academic year, the educational resources, and the curriculum development, the introduction of new subjects, and the increase of the number of actual study days.
Dr. Al-Sudairi clarified that the new system will be implemented in universities starting from the academic year 1444 AH (2023) , noting that the universities were given a one-year deadline to implement the new academic calendar, which is left to each university according to its ability to adapt, as it requires a change in its plans and curricula.
The Deputy Minister of Education for Universities, Research and Innovation indicated that the development of curricula, study plans, and Secondary school tracks achieve the goal of education in developing its outputs, raising learning outcomes, which will reflect positively on universities’ inputs, prepare students early for the labor market and future jobs, and contribute to the development and the national economy.