Qassim University clarifies its position on the Department of Family and Childhood

Qassim University clarified its position on the Department of Family and Childhood at the College of Science and Arts in Al-Ris through a press statement by Prof. Dr. Ahmed bin Saleh Al-Tami, Vice President for Educational Affairs, who said in a statement that was broadcast yesterday evening:

The Department of Family and Childhood is one of the departments of the College of Science and Arts in Al-Ris, which was approved by the Higher Education Council after the restructuring of the college by the Higher Education Council and culminated in the approval of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.

Accordingly, Qassim University developed the study plan for this department and began studying it about three years ago, and out of concern for the career future of the students of this department, we contacted the Ministry of Civil Service to find out the career opportunities for female graduates of this specialization.

Until now, we have not received clarification from the Ministry of Civil Service, but we are in contact with them, and out of our concern for the career future of the students, and for the sake of transparency, we informed the students that the job classification of the kindergarten major is clear to us, while the family and childhood major is still in contact with the Ministry of Civil Service, and since some students are in the middle of the study plan and have not yet graduated, and out of concern for their career future, we have developed a solution in the event that the family and childhood department is not classified (I repeat, in the absence of classification), which is to provide the opportunity for those students of the family and childhood track to transfer to the kindergarten track in the event of non-classification. There was no obligation for any student. It was an emergency solution in the event of non-categorization.

I would like to clarify that there has now been a major breakthrough in the issue of classification, which is the existence of a specialization similar to the Family and Childhood specialization and classified by the Ministry, which is the Family and Child Development specialization. We have submitted a letter to the Ministry of Civil Service requesting the specialization of family and childhood and equating it with the specialization of family and child development because the two names are identical in their subject matter. We expect the ministry to respond positively, and the university has assigned an official from the university to follow up on this issue with the ministry to expedite the response.

What happened today, when a number of female students of the department gathered, the situation was contained and the students were informed that the university is making every effort to end the issue of classification, which is why we postponed the registration of materials for the Department of Family and Childhood until Wednesday in the hope that the picture will become clear, and I am optimistic and reassured that the classification will happen, God willing, and we will not resort to any solution that affects the study of female students.

As for the pledge, no pledge was taken from any student and no student was required to sign any pledge. The pledge that was distributed to some female students was a good faith effort by some university officials and was canceled a week ago.

I confirm that the situation is normal in the department and the study schedules will be available on Wednesday for those who wish to register to complete their studies in the Family and Childhood specialization. As for the classification, I am assured that the Ministry of Civil Service will cooperate with us in the classification of this specialization, and contacts with the ministry are ongoing, and I would like to assure everyone that this issue is receiving the attention of university officials, headed by His Excellency the President, Prof. Khaled Al-Hamoudi.