by committing to meaningful investment for future generations. I am immensely proud of what we have achieved and pray for Allah to help my colleagues at the ABEGS continue on this path, united as Gulf citizens with a common mission. [55] Shortly before leaving the ministry, I proposed setting up the ‘Knowledge Family’ award. As mentioned, the Ministry of Education is viewed as the main conduit linking students and their families to the school. This is done to better acquaint families with the education system and help them become active contributors to the creation of a knowledge society. [56] In one of its early initiatives, A l Aghar Group coined the term ‘Knowledge Family’ to describe this dynamic, defining it as those committed to “acquiring and effectively utilizing knowledge related to the family and child-rearing to prepare their children to face current changes, operate within the knowledge society, and collaborate with others on successful endeavors.” When I penned my resignation to King Abdullah, I sincerely and impartially expressed what drove me to make my decision. I explained my position from the standpoint of loyalty that I had maintained throughout my service to my nation and its people. The resignation followed the stalling progress of some visions I developed to enhance education. [57] While I left the ministry, I did not leave behind my hopes and dreams for a nation and its people whose faith, principles, and capabilities have been shaped by its education system. Nor did I leave behind my duty to serve my nation. And just as I will never abandon the responsibilities that I have taken on over the years, I will not neglect to contribute, support, and dedicate myself to serving future generations. I will continue to live by Allah the Almighty’s divine injunction to “read” ( iqra’ ) as we build a creative, innovative, and productive society, which is built upon knowledge and supported by the tenets of Shariah.
At my farewell ceremony, Prince Khalid awarded me with an iqra’ statuette [58]. In my words of farewell to my colleagues, I said:
I am delighted and thankful to Prince Khalid for honoring me with this gathering, and for bringing together the wonderful people that I have had the honor of serving alongside. Through His Majesty King Abdullah’s guidance, our work has lived up to the full meaning of iqra’ by investing in our future generations to build a creative and productive knowledge society that will carry us into the First World. The future directions that we established as the basis of the ministry’s strategy have defined my five-year tenure. This has included the creation of the hugely influential Tatweer companies, the introduction of the King Abdullah Education Development Program, the establishment of the Education and Training Evaluation Commission, the standardization of education departments through a system of administrative decentralization, the launch of the Kindergarten Initiative, and enhancing the private sector participation in education. All of these initiatives are the basis of the knowledge society infrastructure we seek to build by 2023. Our institutional teamwork resulted in creating an education development strategy, public education system project, regulations for teacher salaries, and the new ministry structure. This culminated in the royal approval of the new structure and the issuance of new sets of standards and indicators that are now used by the Education and Training Evaluation Commission. These efforts will have a lasting impact, thanks to all of you.
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