Dubai: Much to the relief of Indian parents, the Saudi Arabian government has granted the International Indian School of Jeddah (IISJ) permission to run an evening shift and accommodate more students. The formal information granting permission was sent through diplomatic channels. A similar request two years ago was turned down by the authorities. However, permission has only been granted for the kindergarten section. Indian Consul General in Jeddah Faiz Ahmed Kidwai and the school's principal Syed Masood Ahmed have been working for a year to get approval from the local authorities.

There was a lot of pressure to have an evening shift due to the huge number of students in the kindergarten section. The present premises at the Al Rehab district of Jeddah can accommodate 1,800 students. Authorities say they will be able to meet only 20 percent of the total demand by starting the new shift. Admission of students will be on the basis of a lucky-draw. Saudi Arabia is home to around 2.8 million Indian expatriates and Jeddah, as a major city, hosts a large number of them.