JEDDAH, 9 March 2005 — Many people are saying that nighttime is not the right time for education. For some, it is like a bad dream come true. For others, it is a nightmare. Despite repeated assurances from the Ministry of Education that the classroom crunch and nighttime classes are temporary the problems still remain. Many students, parents and teachers told Al-Madinah newspaper that the night classes are detrimental, not only to the students’ learning but to the lives of all those involved, too.
Some say the night shift contributes to laziness and drowsiness in students and that the ministry intentionally transfers less-qualified teachers to the night schools, which do not have many bright students. They say building more schools is the answer.
Students expressed different opinions about the night shifts, but most took a dim view of education’s dark side.
“The night shift neglects the student,” said Abdul Rahman Anwar. “It doesn’t provide the right atmosphere for learning and creates a terrible educational environment.”
Some students say it just makes them (yawn) sleepy.
“It brings laziness and drowsiness,” said Omar Al-Hakami. “It’s not an appropriate atmosphere for students — especially the secondary students who need to concentrate.”
But Ayman Ahmad prefers night shifts “because it gives me enough time to sleep, which makes me focus more on my studies.”
Most parents are not thrilled with it, as many get to perform shuttle duties as well as getting to share in their children’s misery.
“My son’s school is far from my work, so I have to ask for permission to leave work for an hour to drive him to his school every day,” said Abdullah Al-Ali. “This always puts me under questioning by my boss. I hope they can find a quick solution to the school problem.”
Khaled Muhammad said his sons’ level of learning has declined since they were transferred to night school.
Some believe the private sector should come to the aid of the ministry.
“They all have to contribute in finding a solution to night-school, rented-buildings problem,” said Ali Asfan.
Another parent says the Ministry of Education is the cause of the problem.
“The ministry transfers unqualified teachers to the night schools. The problem is that students of those schools are not excellent in performance, and we have never heard that one of them was honored for his excellent work,” the parent said. “That’s why most of the excellent students in other schools reject going to night school. They want to retain their high level and acquire high grades, which they can’t get in night schools.”
As for the night school principals, they say they’ll try to help if students find it too tough.
“The negativity of laziness, drowsiness and failure can affect students and make them lose the ability to concentrate in classes at night,” said Muhammad Al-Thagafi, the principal of an intermediate school in Jeddah. “Many parents come to me to transfer their sons to a regular morning school especially the families who work in the private sector.”
For the teachers who have sleepy students and families operating on a different time schedule, night school can be like a bad dream.
“The night shift has special circumstances,” said Abdul Moen Suwailih, a night-school teacher. “They are not supplying buildings that accommodate all the students. In addition, it causes exhaustion for the students, teachers and the families, too. I myself, like others, hope that I will be transferred to a morning shift.”
The bad dream also can become a nightmare.
“The night shift changes a teachers’ lifestyles and prevents them from staying with their families,” said Talal Al-Sufi, a teacher transferred to a night school. “We can’t make students leave schools immediately if their families are late to pick them up. We have to wait with them for fear that they would be exposed to any danger.”
Maybe you can help solve the classroom crunch and night shift problem yourself. When you go to bed tonight, see what you can dream up, but remember to dream big. It’s a big problem.
