RIYADH, 2 May 2004 — The halls of higher academe should not be the right of a privileged few. For many expatriates, especially those of non-Arab background, the doors to higher education in the Kingdom are usually shut. Increased privatization of the education sector and a steady increase in university applicants has led to numerous private institutions of higher learning.

Despite the fact that there are eight major universities in Saudi Arabia with 76 colleges and several new private colleges and universities under construction, a large number of young expatriates find themselves left out. They face language barriers, exorbitant fees and other obstacles that make pursuing a college education in the Kingdom difficult if not impossible.

“How can we afford to send our children to a private college or university?” asked Tasneem Amjad, headmistress of the Pakistan Embassy Girls School in Riyadh. “Given the average household income of most expatriates and the fact that they have to meet the needs of other children as well, SR48,000 to SR50,000 per year in college fees is a considerable sum. Higher education may be expanding in the Kingdom but it is still very expensive.”

Tasneem said some girls find themselves sitting at home after high school. While some will take up certificate courses and acquire a few skills, most are deprived of a proper post-secondary education.

There are more than five million expatriates in the Kingdom with most from Southeast Asia. Though many are working in successful white-collar positions, a larger number are in non-professional or menial jobs that provide small incomes and few benefits. It is this segment of society that faces the greatest hardship when its members try to find a better life for themselves and their children.

A recent female graduate of the Pakistan Embassy School is now pursuing an undergraduate degree in her home country after being refused admission to King Saud University. The university offers a limited number of seats to foreign women, and admission is further limited to only a few colleges. With top scores and a long record of academic excellence, the young woman easily qualified for admission. When her admission was almost complete, she found that she would be required to take three courses, entirely in Arabic. Given her limited knowledge of Arabic, the classes would have been impossible for her to pass. Her father said he had no choice but to send her to a university in Pakistan. It was not an easy decision, he said, as she was not used to life there.

Private colleges and universities in Saudi Arabia may be an alternative but, like most other expatriates, he cannot afford them. “Some colleges ask up to SR35,000 per year in college fees. With our present salaries, we cannot possibly afford to pay that much,” said the father, who has two other children. “Not having access to higher education here is a problem for both girls and boys, but it is especially difficult for parents to send their daughters to another country for their studies.”

Dr. A from India has three daughters who studied in one of the best schools in Riyadh, but after graduation had to return to India to go to university. “Girls bear the brunt of the problem,” he said. “Those who cannot return to their own country have little or no opportunity here to continue their education.”

Manzar Hafeez Mian at the Pakistan Embassy said many parents had approached him to discuss the problems of sending their children away to college. Southeast Asian culture usually revolves around a close-knit extended families and thus separation of the family can put a strain on family members and adversely affect relationships.

“When children leave, families are separated and this can create problems. The husband may continue to work in Saudi Arabia while the wife may choose to accompany the children. As a result, spouses are also separated from each other.”

According to Hafeez Mian, the expatriate community can be divided into two main groups. Those who are well-off prefer to send their children to colleges in America and Europe; and then there are others, less well-off, who select colleges and universities in their home country. There is in fact a third group who can afford neither.

S. is an intelligent and vivacious young woman who dreams of a college degree. She has spent most of her teen years looking after an ailing mother and raising her baby brother while attending school and keeping up with her studies. At 22, she plays the role of mother and housekeeper while attending classes in a local institute.

“If I were to leave, who would look after my mother?” she asked. “My younger brother has also grown very attached to me and knows no other mother except me.”

The institute, she said, used to offer certificate courses in computer-related subjects but it now offers a bachelor’s degree. With its lack of facilities and shaky background, the institute is a far cry from a proper university, but it is the best she can afford in her situation. Unlike the last group of students who lost their money, the current group, she said reassuringly, “has been promised degrees at the end of the program.”