The following phrases and terms — wherever they appear in this regulation — shall have the meanings specified next to them:

• The Authority: The General Education Evaluation Authority.

• The Council: The Board of Directors of the Authority.

• The Governor: The Governor of the Authority.

• The Regulation: The Regulation of the Authority.

The authority enjoys independent legal personality and financial and administrative independence, and is organizationally linked to the Chairman of the Higher Education Council.

The headquarters of the Authority shall be in the city of Riyadh, and the Authority may establish branches and offices within the Kingdom as needed.

The primary purpose of the authority is to evaluate general education (both public and private), in order to achieve the following objectives:

• 1- Raising the quality and efficiency of general education.

• 2- Supporting national development and the economy by improving the outcomes of general education.

The Authority, in order to achieve its objectives, shall undertake the following tasks and responsibilities:

• 1- Establishing a system for evaluation to ensure the quality of public education, which includes the essential standards and indicators, as well as a national framework for public education qualifications and all related procedures and models.

• 2- Developing advanced standards for stages of public education used to measure performance adequacy at the institutional and programmatic levels.

• 3- Establishing standards for educational curricula and determining what a student should know at each stage, and what they should be able to do in each of them.

• 4- Evaluating the performance of public and private schools and accrediting them periodically based on the Authority's standards, whether the Authority conducts this itself or through contracting or collaboration with specialized institutions in the field of evaluation and accreditation.

• 5- Developing standardized national tests for each educational stage and implementing them.

• 6- Setting controls that ensure the quality of education in all its elements, and issuing appropriate guidelines.

• 7- Preparing professional standards, competency tests, and requirements for professional license programs for those working in public education.

• 8- Evaluating the programs implemented in public education institutions (both governmental and private).

• 9- Conducting studies and research in its area of competence and encouraging their execution.

• 10- Publishing the results of evaluations and accreditations conducted by the Authority, as well as information and data related to accreditation and evaluation, and issuing journals, scientific periodicals, books, brochures, guidelines, and bulletins in its area of competence.

• 11- Communicating with similar authorities and institutions abroad to benefit from their experiences and expertise.

• 12- Licensing the conduct of evaluation operations for specialized institutions in the field of evaluation and accreditation.

1- The authority shall have a Board of Directors composed of a Chairman appointed by a decree from the Prime Minister, and the membership shall be as follows:

• أ ) The Governor

• ب ) Two representatives from the Ministry of Education

• ج ) A representative from the Ministry of Labor

• د ) A representative from the National Authority for Academic Assessment and Accreditation

• هـ ) A representative from the National Center for Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education

• و ) A representative from the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation

• ز ) A representative from the Saudi Association for Educational and Psychological Sciences

• ح ) Seven experts in the field of the authority's activities

• ط ) A representative from the private sector

2- The members referred to in paragraphs (ز), (ح), and (ط) of paragraph (1) of this article shall be appointed by a decision of the Council of Ministers based on a proposal from the Governor, and their membership shall be for a term of three years, renewable once.

3- The rank of the representatives of government agencies shall not be less than the (fourteenth) rank or its equivalent.

4- The remuneration of the members of the council shall be determined by a decision of the Council of Ministers.

The Council is the supreme authority in the body, responsible for supervising it and managing its affairs. It has the authority to take the necessary decisions and procedures to achieve the objectives for which it was established, in accordance with the provisions of this law and the regulations issued thereunder. Specifically, it has the following powers:

• 1- Determining the objectives and approving the policies and plans that the body follows to achieve its purposes, and approving the necessary programs for that and supervising their implementation.

• 2- Approving the rules, standards, and conditions related to the evaluation of general education.

• 3- Approving the results of evaluation operations and consenting to the issuance of accreditation certificates.

• 4- Approving the draft organizational structure of the body and submitting it to complete the legal procedures for its approval.

• 5- Determining the financial compensation that the body receives for any work or service it provides, in agreement with the Ministry of Finance.

• 6- Appointing an accredited external auditor and an internal financial controller.

• 7- Issuing the internal regulations that the body follows and issuing the financial regulations in agreement with the Ministry of Finance.

• 8- Approving the salary scale for experts and specialists with the required competencies, after agreement with the Ministries of Civil Service and Finance.

• 9- Reviewing the periodic reports submitted to it regarding the progress of the body’s work.

• 10- Approving the fee schedule for evaluation and accreditation.

• 11- Approving the draft budget of the body and its final account, the auditor's report, and the annual report, in preparation for submitting that according to the applicable legal procedures.

• 12- Accepting donations, gifts, bequests, endowments, grants, and aids submitted to the body, in accordance with the applicable regulations.

• 13- Approving the conclusion of contracts and agreements, and authorizing the governor to sign them.

• 14- Approving the establishment of branches and offices domestically, in accordance with the regulations.

• 15- Approving the standards and controls for granting licenses to conduct evaluation operations for establishments specialized in this field.

• 16- Approving the holding of conferences, seminars, and meetings related to the body’s missions in accordance with the applicable legal procedures.

The Council may delegate its president or governor in some of its powers.

1- The Council holds its meetings periodically every three months, and the Chairman of the Council may call for a meeting whenever necessary or upon the request of at least three members.

2- A meeting of the Council is valid if attended by the majority of the members, including the Chairman of the Council or a member designated by him to preside over the meeting. Decisions are made by a majority of the votes of those present, and in the event of a tie, the side that the Chairman of the meeting voted for prevails.

3- The Council may invite anyone it deems appropriate to attend its sessions to benefit from their expertise without having the right to vote.

The council may form permanent or temporary committees from among its members or others, and assign to them the tasks it deems necessary. The decision to form each committee shall specify its chairperson, members, and competencies, and it may seek assistance from whomever it deems appropriate to carry out the assigned tasks.

The Authority shall have a Governor at the excellent rank appointed by a royal decree.