Last Ramadan, we recruited a private driver from Sir Lanka. After going through medical checkups, he got his visa stamped at the Saudi Embassy in Colombo.
To my surprise, the man was denied entry into the Kingdom on his arrival in Riyadh. The reason: He did not complete the number of years he was required to spend outside the country after his contract with a previous Saudi employer was terminated.
The new identity cards for expats that will replace the current iqamas (residence permits) will be impossible to forge, according to the assistant director general of the Passports Department (Jawazat).
The news IDs will be issued starting next year.
The ID cards will be electronically issued and renewed through the e-services of Abshir or Muqeem after every five years, Col. Khaled Bin Hamad Al-Saikhan told local daily Al-Madina on Wednesday.
An increased emphasis on e-learning in Saudi Arabia’s education system, coupled with targets to modernise teaching methods, underpin a wider drive to diversify the economy away from oil and create more jobs.
Last year, a five-year SR80bn ($21.3bn) plan was approved to develop Saudi Arabia’s education sector, in addition to the annual allocation to the Ministry of Education. As part of the plan, 25,000 teachers will be trained overseas and resources are to be allocated to improve the online capabilities of educational institutions and promote e-learning.
As a society we tend to complain and gripe a lot about the shortcomings in government and private services. And very rightly so since we expect a high level of service similar to that which is found elsewhere. Saudi Arabia is a rich country and has sufficient resources to import technology and systems to cater to our needs as a developing state, but due to several constraints and an outdated mindset, we tend to lag behind. Today, however, there is a change taking place. Ministries are moving toward "smart government" that provides efficient services to people.
The Saudi authorities aim to keep pace with ongoing technological development and to implement programs that will benefit the public. However, not all government departments have kept the same pace. Some have lagged behind.
Read more: SA: MOI provides innovative, efficient e-services
The Ministry of Labor has launched an electronic service to issue visas for expatriate workers on Musaned, in an effort to employ technology to speed up and facilitate procedures. This measure also helps to decrease paperwork and allows visas to be issued electronically in a transparent manner.
Other government bodies have supported this move, announcing the end of registering and receiving written application in labor offices.