JEDDAH, 30 December 2007 — Herbert Spencer said that the great aim of education is not knowledge but action. Many initiatives and achievements were accomplished as part of King Abdullah’s plans to reform education in the past few years. The greatest highlight of 2007 was the setting up of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Thuwal, a small village on the Red Sea coast to the north of Jeddah, as an international research university dedicated to inspiring a new age of scientific achievement in the Kingdom.
King Abdullah approved the establishment of 17 new colleges in various parts of the country to offer a variety of majors including medicine, tourism and nanotechnology for both men and women. However, media studies are still inaccessible for Saudi women. Women working in local media outlets — newspapers, radio or television — either learn on the job or obtain a degree from abroad. And there are no journalism colleges in the country except for the master’s program that King Saud University offers in Riyadh.
Not everyone can afford to send his or her children abroad to study, but the King Abdullah Scholarship Program opened a door of opportunities for Saudis. Today, over 36,000 students — men and women — have won scholarships to higher education in specific strategic job fields at US, European or Asian universities.
At the primary school level, reviewing the syllabus and curriculum, modernizing the system, improving teachers’ skills and providing well-designed government buildings still obstruct the development of Saudi education.
In March 2007, during the Khadija bint Khuwailid Forum, Associate Professor at King Saud University’s College of Education Fawzia Al-Baker noted that the Kingdom’s education system forces students to memorize instead of digesting information.
“I was thinking where to send my daughter,” she said. “She was lucky to enter a private school. What about other children of the same age who can’t afford to be enrolled in private schools? Imagine what happens to them in government schools?”
There lingers an obvious difference between public and private schools that has created a gap between students from public schools and those who attend private school.
Many Saudis opt for private schools because they feel that public schools do not offer adequate education, especially in English. However, the system requires parents to seek permission from the Ministry of Education to send their kids to foreign-run private schools inside the Kingdom.
“A solid education is the best thing you can give your child,” said Raed Abdul Aziz, a 38-year old father of three. “Between weak public schools, restricted private schools and inaccessible international schools — what kind of education are we giving our children?”
An Arab News survey showed that the majority of Saudi parents interviewed were in favor of an education that included subjects taught in English and a curriculum with an international edge. This is something many children are not getting. Apart from students and curriculums, teachers too endure the unfortunate differences between the public and private schools. Private school work is considered by many teachers to be harder, and the salaries and benefits are often less.
On Jan. 24, 2007, Arab News reported that a group of about 1,000 teachers officially lodged a complaint against the Ministry of Education’s policy of not counting private-school years while hiring teachers for government schools. The report also noted that private schools typically do not pay for vacations or time-off during school breaks.
In an attempt to reform the educational system, new curriculums are being fashioned, often with the help of outside consultants.
This year, the Kingdom witnessed several advances that provide hope for a better educational system that will equip students with the necessary skills needed to power nation’s development. The budget allocated SR105 billion to education and manpower development in 2008 to train teachers, develop academic curricula and improve education atmosphere, with SR39 billion set aside for building schools, universities and training centers and institutes.
Vancouver Offshore Schools Groups Ltd., a Canadian educational service provider and consulting company registered in British Columbia, has proposed to integrate a tailor-made curriculum into Saudi schools. Such a curriculum, once approved, would be implemented in Saudi private schools for both boys and girls. Students graduating from such an educational system would be empowered with knowledge and confidence, and be ready to pursue higher studies in different parts of the world.
Two secondary schools and two middle schools in North Jeddah will also apply a new technique called the Comprehensive Developmental Project that would merge a number of schoolbooks and subjects into one course. Computer science will be introduced as a new subject in elementary and middle school levels, according to Lamia Al-Haj, head of the Curriculum Development Department at the Ministry of Education in Jeddah.
King Faisal University also launched a preparatory program designed to stimulate critical thinking, change attitudes about learning and prepare students for success in their university studies. King Saud University launched two projects in 2007: The Nobel Laureate Program to promote science and technology, develop research and spread a culture of science and a research-chair project supported by royalty, business, banks and philanthropists to finance research chains in all scientific, social and academic fields.
“Reforming the educational system and raising the standard of Saudi schools and universities remain the biggest challenges Saudi Arabia faces today,” said Saudi radio journalist and columnist Samar Fatany in her article “Education Reform Is the Pathway to the Future” in October. “King Abdullah’s vision for a prosperous Saudi Arabia and a better future for his people will only be realized when all Saudis support these initiatives. He can point out the way for us, but we have to truly take his words to heart to help convert this vision into reality.”
