RIYADH, 11 October 2004 — Did you know that basic schools run by the Saudi government are open to children of expatriates, free of charge?
This question arose during the traditional Insan Assembly of Filipinos in Riyadh last Friday, during which participants discussed issues on the education of their children.
It was noted that the huge cost of sending one’s children to the international schools could lead either to the prolonged or shortened stay of some expatriates in the Kingdom. A worker who has at least one child can easily survive but to have more than three children is really tricky to someone with a monthly salary of less than SR3,000. For Filipino expatriates who have their children with them in the Kingdom, most of their salary go to school expenses that range from SR350 to SR500 a month, transportation not included.
The amount could be equivalent to the cost of college education in the Philippines, considering the differences in living standards. Basic education — elementary and high school — are provided free in public schools in the Philippines. In private schools, tuition is subsidized by the government. Despite all these difficulties, expatriates in the Kingdom still prefer the international schools for better education or simply because they are not aware of the free schooling in local madrassas.
Abu Ashraf is one of the few who are aware of the opportunity offered by the host government. His two sons and one daughter are all now in a Saudi government high school in Riyadh. His 16-year-old son has memorized many chapters from the Holy Qur’an and is gifted with a good voice in reciting that he has been allowed to substitute the imam of a nearby Masjid, in his absence, to lead prayers in the district where he lives with his parents. For that, he has been given two rewards.
Some of the forum participants expressed reservations over the free-education opportunity, saying that expatriate students are allowed only up to high school. Morover, they don’t teach English subjects in local schools so that when it’s time to leave the Kingdom to take up college studies at home or abroad, the expatriate student will have to face plenty of difficulties.
Omar Mapandi, an engineer whose son has finished his elementary school in a Saudi government school, has to send him to a Philippine school for this reason.
Mapandi hopes that Saudi public schools open their college degree doors to expatriate children, complete with modern technology subjects, as a great way of spreading Saudi culture and Arabic language all over the world.
Another engineer, Bantuas, has a different story to tell.
“When I sent my kids home after they graduated from government high schools here, they found their subjects (in college) to be very easy, especially mathematics. My children claim that mathematics in Saudi schools is very advanced and I am very proud of them,” he said.
While English is not taught, he said this should not be a hindrance to Filipinos because they can easily learn the language at home. Abu Ashraf said his children attend a special English course at night time to make up for the lack of such subject in the madrassas. Bantuas argued that if one does not study Arabic here, he misses the life-time opportunity of learning the language from its origin.
Mohammad Saleh, a Jeddah-born Filipino, finished his elementary and high school studies in an Arabic school in Jeddah. And because he excelled, he has been allowed to take up a course in computer engineering at the King Fahad University in the Eastern Province.
My own two sons are in a government school in Riyadh. When I go to pick them up from school, I often meet people who look a bit surprised. “Why are you sending your kids here?” is a common question I have often been asked even by the teachers.
In the local tongue, I answer that I am here in Arabian country where I can take advantage of the opportunity to make my son learn Arabic from its origin.