The Ministry of Education has a long tradition of sending students on scholarships abroad for their education. Later, the task went to the Ministry of Higher Education.
Education abroad has not been limited to students who earn government scholarships. The number of students studying abroad with their families’ support is more than those who are sent by the government. The number of students going abroad continues to grow as our own colleges and universities turn away a large number of applicants.
It is sad and frustrating to see this huge number of Saudi students of both genders studying abroad. Saudi Arabia could be just as advanced educationally and financially as these countries visited by our students. But because of the problems with getting into Saudi educational institutions, many students have no choice but to go abroad for their diplomas.
A large number of these students travel abroad usually after graduating from high school — a critical and testing period of their lives. As teenagers, they face intellectual and moral influences that are shocking for those who are born and brought up in a deeply traditional, family-oriented culture.
It’s a major responsibility for the Ministry of Higher Education to consider ways of easing up cultural conflicts and maintain a smooth intellectual and moral interaction between our students and their peers abroad. These students will definitely return home one day and they will carry with them whatever they learned or absorbed during their years abroad. Their input will affect society — our society — either negatively or positively.
The Saudi cultural attaché in Cairo suggested an idea to the Ministry of Higher Education that has been passed on to Saudi attachés around the world. The idea is that the attaché should arrange a monthly meeting for all students of both sexes where they receive a friendly talk or lecture. The talk should revolve around subjects that would connect the students with their country and community. Then the event should have a friendly dinner for students to get acquainted.
I think this suggestion can be very beneficial if applied in a way that attracts students and persuades them to attend and interact. To attain successful results the speaker must come from an intellectual background and must be up-to-date about happenings in the students’ homeland. The speaker should provide consistent facts and respect the students’ views and thinking. Students shouldn’t be underestimated because they have many ways to verify what is told to them by the speaker.
Saudi students abroad need a lot of support. They suffer homesickness, which affects their capabilities and skills. Support for them is crucial because if we abandon them it will eventually reflect upon our country. The Saudi cultural attaché’s idea is a brilliant one that needs a lot of hard work and dedication to become a reality. And that’s the least these students should expect from us.
