Saudi Arabia shuts public school social media accounts to centralise communication

Dubai: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Education has announced the closure of all official social media accounts operated by public schools, institutes and education offices across the Kingdom, in a significant move aimed at streamlining communication and ensuring consistency in the dissemination of information.

The move is in line with a decision issued by Yousef bin Abdullah Al Benyan, Minister of Education, and aligns with the ministry’s broader efforts to regulate the publication of educational news and content.

Moving forward, all updates, announcements, and news from educational institutions will be disseminated exclusively through the official accounts of the regional education departments and the ministry itself.

The ministry stated that the decision is part of a strategy to enhance information accuracy, protect institutional credibility, and reduce the risk of misinformation or the dissemination of unverified content on social media platforms.

It is also in line with the Kingdom’s vision for digital governance and administrative efficiency.

Previously, individual schools and education offices maintained separate accounts to share announcements, event coverage and updates with parents, students and staff.

However, this decentralised approach often led to inconsistencies in messaging and oversight challenges.

 By centralising communication under authorised departmental accounts, the ministry seeks to ensure that educational content aligns with national policies, reflects unified standards, and reaches stakeholders with greater reliability and professionalism.

The ministry has instructed all affected institutions to comply with the directive immediately and redirect their audiences to follow the official channels of their respective education departments for updates and engagement.

The development forms part of the Kingdom’s ongoing reforms in the education sector, which include enhancing digital learning infrastructure, improving administrative transparency, and fostering stronger alignment between policy and public communication.