Children buy school items in preparation for the new educational session, in Taif.

After a long summer vacation and Haj holidays of over three months, schools and other educational institutes are scheduled to reopen on Sept 18.
There were some rumors that the opening of schools would be delayed until after the National Day of Saudi Arabia, which falls on Sept. 23.
Principals of several schools told Arab News that there were no such instructions from the Education Ministry to delay the opening of schools; however, as the National Day falls on Friday, schools will have a holiday on Thursday, Sept. 22.
“We didn’t receive any notice from the ministry to delay the opening of schools due to the National Day,” said Sadiya Kaleem, principal of Al-Hukma International School.
“Schools are opening as per schedule, and Thursday will be off for celebrations of the Saudi National Day,” said Tanveer Tariq, principal of Hala International School.
Shopping centers and stationery shops have started offering special back-to-school discount offers on various stationery items.

Source: Arab News