THE SAUDI Arabian government has no plans to establish a fully-fledged primary or secondary school in Ireland, a spokesperson at its embassy in Dublin has stated.
According to a recent notice posted on the embassy’s website, it decided to form a school following a meeting between its Ambassador to Ireland, Abdulaziz Aldriss, and members of the Saudi Shura Council, an advisory body to the Saudi government.
But a spokesperson rejected the notion that a full-time school was being planned.
“It’s not a school, ” said the spokesperson, in reaction to widespread recent reports. “It will be weekend classes for Saudis here, their families and children.”
The spokesperson said the weekend school would teach “Arabic language, Islamic and Saudi culture” and would not be a daily facility in the vein of Saudi government-backed schools in England, America and Germany, all of which have attracted controversy over alleged hard-line teachings.
“Presumptions” had been made on what would be taught at the school, said the spokesperson, when asked about reports that Wahabbism – a rigid interpretation of Islam which predominates in Saudi Arabia – would be promoted.
Discussions on the establishment of the weekend school are at their “early stages”, she concluded.
Several embassies in Ireland, including those of Poland and Lithuania, support weekend schools for the promotion of culture and language among their children.
