In a move aimed at promoting the role of the private sector and bolstering partnership with the public sector, Saudi Arabia approved on Tuesday an initiative to transfer 25 state-run schools to be operated by private institutions. The Saudi Cabinet approved the “Independent Schools” initiative during its session on Tuesday, following a recommendation by the Council of Economic and Development Affairs. The supervisory committee of the education sector will carry out this initiative in accordance with the provisions of supervisory committees tasked with privatization. The new decision falls within the Kingdom’s privatization program, which was launched last week and is considered as a major gateway to a new phase of economic diversification and increased private sector efficiency. The privatization program - one of the programs dedicated to achieving the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 - seeks to improve the performance of the national economy, improve services, increase employment opportunities for the national workforce and attract the latest technologies and innovations, in addition to supporting economic development by involving qualified enterprises. The “Independent Schools” initiative is the first to be approved among other educational sector initiatives. In remarks last week, Saudi Minister of Education Dr. Ahmed Al-Issa said that the privatization program would contribute to a new qualitative transformation of the education sector, making it one of the most important sectors to achieve Vision 2030, in addition to creating more jobs and achieving an added value to the national economy.