Saudi Arabia asks female students to wear school uniforms and forbids the wearing of the abaya in exam rooms

The Saudi Arabian government establishment has prohibited ‘abaya’ from being worn in educational institutions’ exam rooms.

The judgement was reached by the Saudi Education and Training Evaluation Commission, a group responsible for approving educational and training programmes. The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Education was also engaged in the decision.

The abaya will no longer be permitted on female students during exams, says the administration. In the test rooms, they must now wear school uniforms that comply to standards of public decency.

The news source added that although many women in the kingdom continue to wear abayas, it was stated in 2018 that they will no longer be required by law. Women all around the Gulf wear abayas, traditionally black but now also in lighter blues and pinks.

According to Gulf News, Saudi Arabia’s educational and training institutions must be planned, evaluated, assessed, and accredited by the Saudi Education and Training Evaluation Commission (ETEC), which works with the Ministry of Education. ETEC is a government agency that directly reports to the prime minister and is autonomous in both its legal and financial functioning. As a result of Decree No. 120 of the Council of Ministers, it was established in 2017.