I disagree with the headline “Hiring of 1 m expats yearly hampers Saudization drive.” I have worked in the Kingdom for the past 23 years as an English language instructor in Riyadh, Jeddah and Jubail. All of my children have graduated from schools in Riyadh and Jeddah.
The experience of being both a teacher and parent has given me some insights into the preparation of Saudis to enter the job market on a competitive basis.
The majority Saudis who want to enter the job market are not ready to compete with expats! Their lack of readiness is largely due to their lack of work ethics, which should have been inculcated into them in their schools.
Schools in most of the world push their students to excel. Students are first taught the importance of being on time and deportment. Once these two aspects become a part of the young learners mindset, real learning can take place. The next lesson to be learned is to do one’s own work.
Over the next 12 years, these three points are used as the basis to develop a strong work ethic.
I hope those in position to make some changes will take a more candid look at what takes place in the primary and secondary school systems and make the corrections that will allow the Saudi graduates to be competitive. — Dr. Ibrahim Bilal, By e-mail
Saudization drive
