Ron Lake named to lead Riyadh Schools development program

Ronald Lake, former regional director of education for the Loddon Mallee region of Victoria in Australia, has been appointed new director general of Riyadh Schools. Prince Muhammad bin Salman, chairman of the board of directors of Riyadh Schools, made the appointment, saying Lake would also lead the schools’ development program. “Mr. Lake is one of the outstanding educational personalities in Victoria. He has worked as director of a number of schools before becoming director general of Loddon Mallee educational region that supervises 170 schools,” Prince Muhammad said. The chairman welcomed Lake to Riyadh Schools family and hoped his appointment would help improve the quality of education and encourage other staff members to give their best for the school’s development. Prince Muhammad appointed Abdul Rahman bin Rashid Al-Ghafely, former director of boys’ schools and director of Saudi Academy in Washington, as deputy director general of Riyadh Schools. Riyadh Schools had appointed a number of international educational consultancy houses to study the organization’s development plan in the light of Prince Muhammad’s vision and improve the quality of teaching in order to make Riyadh Schools an excellent model for educational institutions in the country. The development plan also aims at helping Riyadh Schools send more graduates to leading national and international universities to pursue higher studies. Prince Muhammad’s vision focuses on making teaching at Riyadh Schools more interesting to students, giving them a chance to give their views on what they are learning and on the teaching methodology. It also aims to improve the performance of students, their attendance and behavior. “It will give a bigger role for parents and guardians in the education of their children," a statement issued by Riyadh Schools said, adding that they would be given training to support the education of their children and understand their level of education during the academic year. The vision also aims at improve the capabilities of teaching staff, providing them with necessary training, making use of the Internet and modern technology. The schools will also be provided with necessary facilities to cope with modern technological development. It will also appoint a counselor to provide students necessary advice on higher education. Two more international advisers are to be appointed to review the performance and follow up on the implementation of programs in accordance with the development plan.