JEDDAH, 19 February 2006 — The next dialogue forum to be held in the northern city of Al-Jouf will focus on the theme: “Education: Reality and Methods of Development,” the King Abdul Aziz National Dialogue Center announced yesterday.
The purpose of the forum as announced by the center’s president, Sheikh Saleh Al-Hussayen, is to determine whether the existing educational system fulfills the needs of the local labor market.
Al-Hussayen said the topic was selected on the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, who initiated the dialogue forum. The choice of the topic was timely as it comes in the wake of calls for educational reform, he pointed out. Before the forum begins, a number of discussions and meetings will be held around the country at which participants and members of the public will express opinions and offer suggestions.
In the previous forums, the educational system has never been a subject by itself but it was discussed in all of them. Many participants have spoken of the need to revise the country’s education system. Most feel the present system produces students who are experts at memorization but who cannot think logically and rationally.
In the most recent forum, the fifth, the theme was “Us and the Other” which dealt with how Saudis relate to the rest of the world. A majority of participants were fiercely critical of the Saudi curriculum which blames “the other” for most international problems.
Faisal ibn Muammar, secretary-general of the center, emphasized the significance of education as it plays a central role in the country’s overall development. “More than half of the Saudi population is youth. This fact encouraged us to select the subject,” he said.
The dialogue center was founded in 2003 on instructions of King Abdullah when he was crown prince. It provided a suitable venue for Saudis to express their viewpoints on various issues. The dialogue forums have been instrumental in promoting a culture of dialogue in Saudi society.
