I have often observed that some of our ministries operate on the code of one screw short of being complete. But in the case of the Ministry of Education, it seems to me that a whole case of hardware went missing somewhere along the way before final assembly.
I am referring to the recent resolution by the bureaucrats at this ministry to back pedal and dismiss physical education in girls’ schools. In a news item carried in one of the Arabic papers as well as this one, the Ministry of Education stated that it “would not introduce physical education in girls’ schools” and requested that the media “respect religious, literary and national responsibility” in this regard.
Coming on the heels of a published article just a couple of days earlier on Alia Hayel Aboutaiyh Al-Howaite, the first female Saudi jockey to have participated on international level, this astounding decision reaffirms my faith that that are vast areas of wilderness in the understanding between the people and those that scurry about in these bureaucracies and dish out their own diktats.
Now the female jockey was sponsored and fully supported by none other than Prince Alwaleed ibn Talal, and had ably demonstrated her skills by placing seventh among 90 jockeys in the recently held 120-km World Endurance Championship in Dubai. Needless to say, she did not learn much of her equestrian proficiency here in school, nor with any encouragement from any local government sport body, but through private sponsorship from Alwaleed and in Jordan.
For Prince Alwaleed and many others in the country, it is indeed a source of pride when our women can hold their own in all fields at the international level. Be it in the sciences or on the playing field, we proudly urge them on. And yet we have ministries here which deem exposure of our schoolgirls to sports as pointless or unnecessary.
Should not the assessment to allow physical education in girls’ schools be left to the teachers, the principals, and the parents of these girls? Or should it be left to this male dominated organization to unilaterally set the rules without properly studying all angles? Or worse yet, are such ministries giving in to the demands of a small group with very extreme views?
And what about telling those in the media, as well as those who occasionally dabble in it, to “respect religious, literary and national responsibility”? Does that mean that those of us who do not agree with this pronouncement are not men of faith, are not literate, or have no sense of national responsibility? Or is it one of those holier than thou statements often thrown about in the past to cower us all back into silence, for fear we would be branded as heathens and infidels?
I consider myself a man of faith, and I now and then pat myself on the back for being somewhat literate. And as for seeing this country move forward within the frameworks of “national responsibility”, I am one of the most ardent and enthusiastic cheerleaders. But when such proclamations are released by some of our government bodies, I find myself slightly tempted to book an appointment with the nearest shrink.
Today, we are privileged to have the presence of a proactive and progressive king at the helm, and one who has on numerous occasions stated his resolve very directly to let women determine their own aspirations within the boundaries of our faith. Ironically, some of our ministries don’t seem to have read his message well.
