The Council of Ministers yesterday approved the rules and regulations of the newly formed Education Evaluation Commission, which is set to realize the Kingdom’s desire to become a knowledge economy. The commission shall be an independent organization reporting directly to the prime minister. It enjoys financial and administrative independence, and will have a governor appointed through a royal decree. The commission will evaluate public and private educational systems to ensure the quality of general education. It will also evaluate the performance of public and private schools and educational programs. “It will also set professional standards and competence tests and licenses required by employees in the sector,” said Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja while explaining the Cabinet decision. The Cabinet meeting, chaired by Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, reviewed the developments at the Arab, regional and international levels including the worsening situation in Syria. The Cabinet noted the conference of the Friends of Syria, which was held in Italy where participants emphasized the importance of providing more political and material support to the Syrian people to defend themselves. The Cabinet appealed to the international community to take immediate steps to put an end to the tragedy of Syrian people. Khoja said the Cabinet reviewed the outcome of the International Conference of the Alliance of Civilizations in Vienna, stressing that cultural dialogue should respect the fundamentals of every religion and civilization. The Cabinet was briefed on a report on UN Human Rights Council’s 22nd session in Geneva, when Saudi Arabia emphasized the need to tackle ethnic and religious violence and intolerance. The Kingdom also called for issuing a UN resolution criminalizing whoever infringes on divine religions and prophets. The Cabinet stressed the initiative taken by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to promote interfaith dialogue, which culminated in the opening of King Abdullah International Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue in Vienna. The Cabinet commended Prince Salman’s inauguration of the Exhibition of Historical Photos in the Saudi Press, stressing that the crown prince’s support embodies his care and concern for the national heritage and the Kingdom’s history. The Cabinet approved an agreement between King Abdul Aziz Foundation (Darah) and Jamia Millia University in India, which was signed in Riyadh on May 5, 2012. It authorized the finance minister to sign a draft agreement with Sudan to avoid double taxation and prevent tax evasion. A similar accord will be signed with Turkmenistan. The Cabinet also approved the Kingdom's accession to the agreement of establishing the International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA) as a universal organization, which was agreed upon in Vienna on 2/9/2010. The Cabinet appointed Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Rahman Al-Jabr director general of water in the Riyadh Region, Abdul Aziz bin Suleiman Al-Mishaal administrative adviser, Abdul Hameed bin Nasser Al-Amri drafting adviser at Cabinet Experts Committee, Faleh bin Daghiman Al-Rushaidi director general of Customs Training Institute and Hassan bin Ahmed Baqdhoudh director general of King Fahd International Airport Customs Department in Dammam. Source: Arab News