JEDDAH, 6 August — When summer arrives in this part of the world, and a plus-40 degree reading becomes the norm, the locals pack up and head for the cooler destinations in Europe, Asia or the Arab world. Or so you would have thought.
Although many people do still travel abroad, increasing numbers prefer to spend their holidays at summer resorts within the Kingdom itself.
And younger Saudis, particularly students, are also making what years ago would have seemed an unusual decision. While some may still view the summer months as an excuse for sleeping in late, cruising the streets in fancy cars, or just loitering the hours away in public parks or malls, many are increasingly using the summer break to undertake skills courses or join summer camps.
In many neighborhoods, courses offering academic and skill-improving classes are arranged by mosques, which play an important role in educating children and therefore keeping them off the street.
This trend is welcomed by both educators and government officials who are working with local chambers to encourage the establishment of training courses for secondary school and college students. In urban areas in particular, summer courses have become indispensable for parents facing hard times because of their diminishing incomes and who might therefore find it difficult to plan a trip abroad.
Government departments, including the ministries of education and labor, organize cultural programs that will attract the largest possible number of students, explains Adil Al-Naqib, director of the student activity section at the Ministry of Education.
In the Makkah region alone, the ministry has set up 20 summer camps.
According to Alyoun Al-Qurashi, director general of education, the camps are meant to instill in students moral values such as good behavior, while helping them develop their broad range of talents.
In many public places, particularly mosques, people are being greeted with posters advertising summer courses that include sports and improving various specialist skills, as well as religious lessons.
“The mosque can help parents better plan children’s leisure time and ensure that they can make more constructive use of the holiday,” said Jalal Saleh, a mosque imam.
Mujahid, a 14-year-old intermediate student, spends his time attending private computer and English classes, in addition to Qur’an lessons during the evenings.
“From 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., I go to the computer class. After that I attend English language lessons in the same institute. By one o’clock in the afternoon I am back home. In the evening, I spend two hours attending Qur’an lessons. Next week I will be going on a summer camp.”
Summer courses have helped countless youths look to the future in a more optimistic way and make an investment of their time.
Seventeen-year-old Aiman, for instance, was able to travel to the United States in a trip organized by a local club for outstanding students.
Although these centers prefer on the whole adolescents to noisy youngsters, five-year-old Marwa insists on accompanying her elder sister to an afternoon class at the nearby mosque. It is better than the alternative: being curled up in bed or watching cartoons on television.
Every year, the Jeddah Scientific Club, a non-profit organization, arranges monthlong summer trips abroad. Abdul Hafiz Turkistani, the club director, says the objective is to reward good students by taking them to visit scientific institutions, including the aircraft and automobile industries, geological research centers and environmental study sites.
