JEDDAH, 18 January 2004 — The education system is responsible for the current imbalances in the labor market, according to a senior economist.
“I may sound pessimistic but I’m optimistic that the imbalances in the employment of the Saudi work force can be sorted out by reforming the education system,” Dr. Nahed Taher, senior economist at National Commercial Bank, said yesterday.
Taking part in a discussion “Fit for the Job: Developing Future Management Talent for Saudi Arabia,” in the opening day’s session of the Jeddah Economic Forum, Dr. Nahed Taher said: “There is a low number of Saudis in the Kingdom’s work force, and women account for hardly five percent of the number. There is great dependence on the foreign work force. What’s more, Saudis are mostly found in the non-productive sector. This has something to do with our education system, which does not motivate Saudis to take up technical studies such as computer science and engineering.”
She pointed out that 4 percent of the Kingdom’s university graduates are in computer science and 7.6 in engineering. “Our education system demands memorization rather than analytical studies. Thus students show their interest in ‘soft’ subjects such as social studies and religion rather than mathematics, science or engineering. This is where we should learn from the West. If the United States manages to land on Mars, it does not amount to the success of the United States but of humanity. So we should offer scholarships for young Saudis to go abroad and pursue higher studies in subjects to enrich the lives of all people.”
Emphasizing the need to open the education sector to private universities, she said the system of education should match its global counterparts.
The Kingdom’s population growth is one of the highest in the world and she noted, “six people depend on one worker’s salary in the Kingdom as against two in advanced countries. What is of great importance is the development of human capability as a catalyst for accelerating economic growth.”
Ghassan Al-Sulaiman, vice chairman of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and Dr. Ghazi Binzagr, president of Arabian Stores Co., also spoke on the subject, with Professor Laura Tyson, Dean, London Business School, moderating.
Al-Sulaiman stressed the need for developing and hiring talent and also for building strong infrastructure. “Young Saudis should strive for excellence and become result-oriented. The development of a clear educational vision calls for financial support from the private sector and scholarships to young talents to study abroad. NGOs should come forward in this regard.”