In a move to enhance the efficiency of the digital education system, the Ministry of Education has activated the "Teachers' Professional Development Service" user guide through the Fares system, in its second approved edition for the academic year (1447 AH - 2026 CE). This step aims to organize and govern the procedures for registering professional development activities for those holding educational positions, ensure the accurate electronic calculation of their points, and standardize work mechanisms to guarantee the validity of the outcomes and their compliance with regulations.
The implementation of this guide comes within the framework of the comprehensive digital transformation underway in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as part of Vision 2030, where the "Faris System" serves as the backbone of human resources in the education sector. This step is of paramount importance as it shifts professional development procedures from traditional transactions to a fully integrated digital environment, making it easier for teachers to manage their professional files and link them to career advancement paths with complete transparency. This reflects the Ministry's commitment to raising the quality of professional performance among the teaching staff.
The guide serves as a reference document outlining the precise steps within the system. It includes a detailed explanation of the professional development service, a comprehensive description of the service, the document's purpose, and how to use it. It also reviews the procedures and implementation mechanism, user guidelines, and how to access screens according to job roles and assigned permissions, ensuring a smooth and technically straightforward user experience.
Service pathways and calculation mechanism
The guide clarified that the professional development service for teachers offered through the Fares system includes several main tracks, most notably: professional development eligibility, activity reports, and cumulative and annual points reports. The guide emphasized that activity entries must be entered exclusively by the teacher themselves, and no one else may act on their behalf. Furthermore, the data must match official documents, and the teacher bears full responsibility for the accuracy of the entries.
Regarding the mechanism for calculating durations, the guide provides detailed information to ensure fairness in evaluation. Duration is calculated in hours for in-person and online training and workshops, while it is calculated in days for conferences and educational meetings. However, no specific duration is allocated for certain specialized activities such as authorship, action research, scholarly papers, training packages, and practical lessons; these are assessed according to the criteria of "knowledge production.".
Expected impact and importance of documentation
This system is expected to bring about a qualitative shift in educational planning, providing the Ministry with a vast and accurate database of teachers' skills and experiences, thus helping to guide future training programs more effectively. The system also fosters a culture of continuous professional development among teachers, as point accrual has become a prerequisite for professional growth and promotions, positively impacting the quality of education in classrooms.
The guide concluded by explaining the steps for generating reports. The system allows exporting activity data to Excel or PDF files, enabling teachers to maintain a historical record of their achievements. The ministry emphasized that any new activities can only be added after the processing of previous requests, whether approved or rejected, and urged all users to ensure accuracy to safeguard their professional rights.
