The Shura Council held its 43rd regular session of the second year of the ninth term today, chaired by His Excellency the Deputy Speaker of the Council, Dr. Mishal bin Fahm Al-Sulami.

At the outset of the session, the council reviewed the agenda of its 43rd regular session and the items it contained, taking the necessary decisions regarding them.

The Shura Council issued a decision calling on the Ministry of Education to develop an indicator to measure the readiness of children of early childhood age (pre-school stage) to move to primary school, in order to support continuity of learning and reduce gaps, and contribute to improving learning outcomes in subsequent stages.

The council took its decision after hearing the viewpoint of the Education and Scientific Research Committee, which was presented by council member and committee chairman Dr. Nasser Tayran, regarding the observations and opinions expressed by members in a previous session about the annual report of the Ministry of Education for the fiscal year 1446/1447 AH.

In its decision, the council called on the ministry to study the development of mechanisms and policies to benefit from the expertise of retired male and female teachers, making them a sustainable resource for the education system.

The council emphasized in its decision that the ministry should develop mechanisms to regulate the attendance of teaching staff in schools, taking into account the nature of the educational process and contributing to improving the quality of the school environment and educational outcomes.

In the same decision, the council called on the Ministry of Education to raise the efficiency of the 'Madrasati' platform by expanding the use of emerging technologies, to support the 'smart schools' model and enhance the readiness of the education system to deal with exceptional cases and emergency crises.

The council stressed that the ministry should evaluate the 'Qubool' platform in its first year and develop supportive tools to reduce cases of withdrawal and academic failure.

The council also issued another decision during the session calling on the National Health Insurance Center to develop mechanisms for the prioritization of health coverage between the center and other insurance entities, and to govern claims of government health facilities, to ensure that these facilities or the center do not bear costs resulting from the delay or failure to disburse due claims.

The council took its decision after hearing the viewpoint of the Health Committee, which was presented by council member and committee chairman Dr. Hassan Al-Masloum, regarding the observations and opinions expressed by members in a previous session about the annual report of the National Health Insurance Center for the fiscal year 1446/1447 AH.

In its decision, the council called on the center to develop procedures to ensure continuity of care and treatment—without interruption—for patients with advanced and complex chronic diseases with ongoing health needs.

In the same decision, the council called on the center to govern the referral pathways for treatment in private health institutions within the Kingdom and abroad, to ensure that the center's decisions are appropriate to patients' needs and that the level of care is equivalent among treatment alternatives.

In the same context, the council issued a decision calling on the Saudi Food and Drug Authority to complete the connection of all pharmacies to the electronic tracking system for pharmaceutical products 'Rasd'.

The council took its decision after hearing the viewpoint of the Health Committee regarding the observations and opinions expressed by members in a previous session about the annual report of the Saudi Food and Drug Authority for the fiscal year 1446/1447 AH.

In its decision, the council called on the authority to develop regulatory and awareness mechanisms to reduce the circulation and promotion of unregistered herbal products in herbal shops.

In its decision, the council called on the Saudi Food and Drug Authority to study expanding the training and qualification programs offered by its affiliated academy, including their accreditation and provision to all clients of the authority in the sectors under its supervision.

The council emphasized in its decision that the authority should address the regulatory challenges associated with the circulation and sale of milk and dairy products from farms and producing families, achieving a balance between supporting producers and ensuring food safety.

In its decision, the council called on the authority to study expanding the involvement of the private sector in providing some of the authority's services, taking into account its competencies and oversight role.

In another health context, the council issued a decision calling on the Saudi Red Crescent Authority to educate the community about cases that require requesting urgent ambulance services, and to increase its efforts in preventive awareness.

The council took its decision after hearing a response from council member and Health Committee chairman Dr. Hassan Al-Masloum regarding the observations and opinions expressed by members about the annual report of the Saudi Red Crescent Authority for the fiscal year 1446/1447 AH, after it was discussed during this session.

In its decision, the council called on the authority to study the establishment of a national framework to measure the impact of its ambulance services on patient outcomes after completing all stages of healthcare.

Among the decisions on the agenda of this session, the council issued a decision calling on the Ministry of Investment to study the integration of institutional roles with the Investment Marketing Authority, and measure the impact of the current model on spending efficiency and achieving investment targets.

The council took its decision after hearing the viewpoint of the Commerce and Investment Committee, which was presented by council member and committee chairwoman Hanan Al-Samari, regarding the observations and opinions expressed by members in a previous session about the annual report of the Ministry of Investment for the fiscal year 1446/1447 AH.

The council emphasized in its decision that the ministry should measure the economic impact of the National Initiative for Global Supply Chains ('Jisri') through clear performance indicators and time-bound targets, and link its results to the targets of the National Investment Strategy.

In its decision, the council called on the ministry to develop follow-up mechanisms with investors in the final negotiation stages, and to activate electronic linkage of essential data with relevant entities.

The council also called on the ministry to develop performance indicators to measure the volume of contracts awarded to local small and medium enterprises by attracted foreign companies, to ensure added value to the local economy.

In the same context, the council issued another decision regarding the annual report of the Saudi Investment Marketing Authority for the fiscal year 1446/1447 AH, calling for the development of measurement indicators to evaluate and classify investment opportunities in the regions before presenting them to investors, including measuring regulatory readiness, infrastructure, and potential challenges.

The council took its decision after hearing a response from council member and chairwoman of the Commerce and Investment Committee regarding the observations and opinions expressed by council members about the authority's annual report after it was discussed during this session.

In its decision, the council called on the authority to develop a methodology to measure the contribution of its programs and initiatives in attracting foreign direct investment, and link it to the targets of the National Investment Strategy.

The council emphasized in its decision that the Saudi Investment Marketing Authority should govern the roles and responsibilities among relevant entities in attracting foreign direct investment.

In another decision issued during this session, the Shura Council called on the Ministry of Sports to study the allocation of seats in Saudi universities to attract distinguished athletes.