Khaberni - Minister of State for Public Sector Development Badriya Al-Balbeesi, on Wednesday, affirmed that the government will launch the "Mystery Shopper" program in public schools for the first time, within the initiative titled "Safe and Clean School Environment," under directives from Prime Minister Jaffar Hassan and in coordination with the Ministry of Education.
Al-Balbeesi explained during her talk on Al-Mamlaka channel that the program will cover about 1000 schools out of approximately 4000 public schools, with three visits per school throughout the year, aimed at checking the level of cleanliness and general safety, and ensuring that the health facilities used by the students are clean and comply with health standards, in addition to assessing the classroom environment and its suitability.
She indicated that the visits would be conducted by mystery shoppers entering the schools according to a specific mechanism and within a coordinated regulatory framework with the Ministry of Education, noting that the selection of schools will be done based on criteria agreed with the Minister of Education.
Al-Balbeesi confirmed that the "Mystery Shopper" report is an established assessment tool within a comprehensive system to evaluate the service recipients’ experience in governmental institutions, aimed at enabling relevant authorities to identify strengths and areas of improvement, which should simplify procedures and enhance the quality of services provided to citizens, in line with the approach that focuses on the citizen.
She mentioned that the "Mystery Shopper" is not a new tool, but is used as a means for continuous evaluation and improvement, alongside other tools including self-assessment conducted by departments, and announced visits done by specialized administrative bodies.
She highlighted that the unique aspect of the "Mystery Shopper" is that it is implemented by a neutral third party and a specialized entity that possesses globally recognized methodologies and tools, not by the governmental center itself.
She added that the mystery shopper acts as a citizen who visits the institution as a service recipient, undergoes the complete experience, then fills out a questionnaire that measures various aspects, including ease of access to the service center, the service delivery environment in terms of cleanliness, maintenance, availability of waiting places, clarity of procedures, as well as the behavior and professionalism of the service provider, and a detailed report is built based on the results of these questionnaires.
She noted that the nature of the "Mystery Shopper" typically involves an element of surprise, as the visit is not arranged in advance for a declared evaluation, which allows a true measurement of the service recipient’s experience.
She confirmed that the program’s results are linked to individual and institutional performance levels, creating an incentive for employees to improve the performance of centers, and positively reflecting on their individual performance.
Al-Balbeesi revealed that about 50 governmental institutions are currently covered by the "Mystery Shopper" program, with the number of conducted visits ranging between 200 and 2500 visits, implemented in two phases, aimed at supporting decision-makers with the necessary information to enhance service quality and improve the citizens' experience.
