New teacher promotion requirements and automatic promotion mechanism in the Fares system
The Ministry of Education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced important clarifications regarding the mechanism for promoting those holding educational positions, stressing that the process is carried out automatically and automatically without the need to submit prior applications or wait for manual nomination approvals, for those who meet the approved controls and conditions in the regulations for educational positions and the executive regulations for human resources.
Context of transformation in the education sector
This regulatory measure comes within the framework of the strategic transformation that the education sector in the Kingdom is witnessing, which aims to professionalize the teaching job and raise the efficiency of performance, in line with the objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. The new regulations for teaching jobs are a qualitative leap that aims to link promotions and job benefits to actual performance, professional development, and obtaining professional licenses, instead of relying entirely on years of service only, which enhances the quality of educational outcomes.
Promotion mechanism and controls
The ministry clarified that promotions are carried out according to Article 10 of the regulations, whereby a teacher moves from their current rank to the next higher rank, retaining the same job number, after fulfilling the requirements. The ministry emphasized that skipping ranks is not permitted; rather, the established career progression must be strictly adhered to.
Regarding the follow-up on decisions, the Ministry indicated that teachers can access their promotion decisions through the "My Decisions" service in the "Faris" self-service system, with notifications sent via text message. It also noted that promotions are not retroactive, based on Article (58) of the Executive Regulations for Human Resources.
Promotion requirements and time periods
The ministry has detailed the requirements for promotion between different ranks (from practicing teacher to advanced, and from advanced to expert), which require:
- Obtaining a university degree as a minimum requirement.
- Spending a specified period of time in the current rank: 6 years for Bachelor’s degree holders, 5 years for Master’s degree holders, and 4 years for PhD holders.
- The period is reduced by one year when upgrading from "Advanced" to "Expert".
- Obtain a valid professional license.
- Achieve the minimum required professional development points.
- Obtaining a job performance rating of at least (very good) in the last three years.
Selection criteria and the importance of the decision
In competitive cases, the ministry employs precise selection criteria that include the professional license level (specialized and general) and average job performance. In case of a tie, seniority in appointment and graduation date are considered.
This automated system is of great importance at the local level, as it ensures fairness and transparency for all members of the education sector, puts an end to individual interpretations in the promotion process, and motivates teachers to continuously develop to obtain professional licenses and postgraduate studies, which positively impacts the educational environment in Saudi schools.
