The proposal to begin teaching English in primary schools has recently been postponed for unknown reasons. Whatever the reasons, the decision amounts to the postponement of a solution to a pressing problem: The Kingdom’s openly acknowledged low level of education. It has been shown many times that an unacceptably low educational level is at the core of many of our country’s problems. It is ironic indeed that unemployment among Saudis is common in a country where job opportunities are limitless and the number of Saudi graduates countless. If the educational level were acceptable, very few of our graduates would be unemployed nor would foreign workers be brought here in droves. If the educational level were higher, the economy would be much stronger and various other problems would have never arisen. The problem is identified in general as deficiencies in education but no one seems willing to address them. This is also true in most of the Arab world where education is very much a side-issue for politicians.
The opposition to teaching English is rooted in fears about the future of Arabic and Arab social traditions as much as in fears of what young people will read. Yielding to fears is the wrong approach if one is ever to find solutions to problems. Any person who is fearful these days will not dare to step outside his door. For decades we Arabs have been fed on fears of the new and the result has been a catastrophe for out society. We have been left far behind in every area of progress. In the modern world of merciless competition, fear has no place. Many of us feared the Internet but now, those who feared it are exploiting it the most. A similar thing happened in our parents’ generation; they feared radio and television. Our society once feared education for women but now we benefit from well-educated women in the best possible way. The difficult choice before us is whether to go forward or remain prisoners of backwardness and let others overtake us, leaving us behind.
We must be aware that the number of unemployed Saudis will grow from thousands to hundreds of thousands in the next few years. There are more than three million children on their way to the employment market; opportunities, unfortunately, are not growing in proportion to those numbers. What will we do when millions of students arrive in the employment market? How can our graduates find jobs when most employers specify the need for skills in English? The Ministry of Education produces half-qualified graduates who are unacceptable to employers and who lack the skills to improve and help themselves. Why then do we protest when our graduates are turned down by the private sector?
With all respect to the Council of Ministers, I appeal to them to review a decision which will affect millions of young people who have no hope without a quality education. The age of grants and subsidies is past. Today and in the future, a man or a woman will have to depend on his or her talents and abilities when looking for a job.
Should millions of our young people become victims of a few people’s mistaken ideas, fears, whims and fancies? At present, the rich have the option of sending their children to private schools to receive training in essential skills though for the majority of children in the Kingdom, private school is not an option and thus they are left without the essential skills. No harm has resulted in such Muslim countries as Malaysia and Pakistan which teach foreign languages to their young children in primary school.
Nobody believes the government should provide employment to all the Kingdom’s graduates. At the same time, the government has a duty to produce young people who are well-qualified for employment. This can best be achieved through educational reforms which will give the young people the skills the Kingdom needs.
