JEDDAH, 26 April 2003 — A vast majority of Saudis are under the age of 25, and efforts to provide them with adequate training are becoming increasingly urgent.
At a time when Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, has ordered the Saudization of another 21 sectors, Al-Madinah newspaper discovered that many young Saudis suffer from an unusual complaint — too much free time.
Nineteen-year-old Ahmed Saeed told the newspaper his biggest problem was that he was unable to make proper use of his free time.
“I try at weekends to go to the beach with my friends,” he said. “For our annual vacation we usually go abroad and try to enjoy our time away from the Kingdom. There is no point staying here, because there is nothing to do.
“Here in Jeddah all the entertainment is for families, not for us.”
Ahmad Barakh has been unable to find a job because of a shortage in the public sector and, since he has only secondary education, in the private sector as well.
“Nobody will accept a high school graduate in the private sector.
“So I have all the free time in the world, and it’s killing me. I don’t know how to manage it at all.
“I rely on my father for financial support, but I wish I could find a job.”
Some, like Abdulaziz Al-Tufaili, turn to dangerous sports.
“I have lots of free time and I do not know what to do with it. In the afternoon my friends and I race cars. I know it’s dangerous, but there are no clubs where we could do this.”
Parents fear that too much free time could even lead to crime.
Muhammad Ali, a father, told Al-Madinah he was afraid that youngsters are at risk when they have too much time and not enough to do with it. “The authorities should study the situation very carefully,” he said.
“There have to be detailed statistics to clarify the unemployment situation. There must be hundreds of thousands of jobs where Saudis could replace foreign workers.”
