JEDDAH, 22 September 2004 — High School 27 for girls has been chosen by the Ministry of Education to be the only institution in Jeddah to implement the new high school system, and not everyone is happy about it.
On Monday, the teachers surprised their sophomore (10th grade) students by announcing that they will be following an American-type education system. This system will only apply for the 10th grade students at the High School 27, and the school is one of the few chosen throughout the Kingdom to try out this system.
They distributed a form to the students to be returned the next day informing the parents of the system and asking them to sign whether they would like to keep their daughters at the school or have them transferred. Furthermore, if a student stays and for some reason transfers anytime during the next three years to another school where this system is not implemented, she would have to start over.
They would study from a completely different curriculum from the other sophomore students in the other schools and their final grade is determined by an accumulative grade point average in all three years of high school rather than just their senior year as in the old system. The school has not received the new curriculum yet but they will start teaching it on Saturday based on what they were told the differences are from the regular curriculum.
Last week, Arab News reported on the new system that will change high school’s goals, structure, methods and contents in order to prepare the students for college and the job market.
An official at the Ministry of Education informed Al-Watan newspaper that this system has already been implemented in 13 boys and girls high schools starting this year in Riyadh, Makkah, Jeddah and the Eastern Province in preparation to generalize the system for all high schools in coming years.
However, when Arab News tried to find out more about it from the Education Development Administration for girls, it was told that this system was implemented a few years ago only in a limited number of boys’ high schools in Riyadh as a model for “the future schools”, but that it is still being studied. “We have no knowledge of it being implemented in any girls’ school in the country, if it’s true, we would be the first to know,” said the source.
Apparently, the decision was taken without their consultation or input. The new system allows students a more active role in their education by choosing the subjects that appeal to their interests, which encourages them to be more independent and develops their creative and investigative skills. There is also a focus on developing their practical skills.
A student will take only seven subjects per semester, two semesters a year for three years, and a failure in one subject does not require repeating the whole year. There are general requirement subjects, 130 hours, constituting 65.5 percent of the total hours needed to graduate. On the other hand, there are five hours for electives. The remaining hours needed, 55, are to be completed by choosing between the humanities track and the natural sciences, with some subjects being mandatory and others optional in each. Some subjects have been eliminated from the general requirements such as art and tailoring while others have been added such as administrative skills, life skills, health education, and environment studies. There is no mention of physical education for girls.
At the school, Arab News witnessed tension, confusion and tears. “I’m 15 and I’m supposed to make a decision today that will affect my entire academic life,” Morooj Moharraq said. “This is my first year of high school, in a new school and with new friends. I was hoping it would be a smooth and happy experience,” she added. She is one of the many students who decided to transfer even though she is a high achieving student and the principal tried to convince her to stay.
“The problem is in finding a good school close to home that will take her now two weeks into school,” complained Morooj’s mother. “Why hasn’t anyone informed us earlier? Doesn’t our children’s education concern us? Why these sudden and random decisions?” she asked.
Principal Sana Nassar has been receiving students and their mothers at her office all day explaining to them the new system and why it will be a good experience which will succeed. “I can understand why the students are worried but I’m optimistic and enthusiastic about the new system,” she told Arab News.
For the past two days, the principal and the teachers attended a seminar with education officials where they explained it to them the new approach of teaching which focuses on independent research, discussion, and analytic thinking.
“I think one of the reasons this school was chosen is because it is fully equipped. We have a big library, computer labs, English language labs and of course excellent teachers,” said Nassar. Because the students are not used to choosing their own subjects and might make unwise decisions, Nassar will outline eight different schedules and allow them to choose from them. The students will also have advisers. “I’m staying. I like the idea of being more independent, having options and doing research,” said Abeer Sharqawi.
Although some teachers felt that they should have been told at least a month before in order to be prepared, they said they were excited about the new system. “It allows a teacher more authority over her subject and the way she wants to teach it and more responsibility even in conducting the final exam,” said Eman Makhtoom.
