I think we can all agree that the private sector must play a role and support the government’s education policies. No matter how much effort the government puts into the educational system, the private sector will have to play a leading role in reforming and enhancing the system. But some problems persist among the Kingdom’s private technical and training institutions. More and more Saudis are complaining about the deceptive practices of some private training schools where the education advertised is far from the skills actually attained. Perhaps it is time for the government to step in and solve the problems of less-than-scrupulous private schools.
These technical schools focus on teaching English, computing, management, health care services and design. These are all good skills to be taught, but the problem is some of these institutions have weak programs that do not adequately prepare their graduates to meet the challenges in the workplace. We need to improve the professionalism of these centers so that they may improve the professionalism of their graduates.
These institutions are businesses, but there has to be a balance between profitability and quality. I don’t believe that shutting down these schools is the solution, but perhaps a little consolidation in this industry is called for. And certainly these institutions should be held to higher standards.
