An American delegation recently visited Saudi Arabia in an attempt to foster better relations between our two countries. At a dinner hosted by the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, I had the opportunity to exchange views with one official, and we discussed some of the problems that could be easily fixed if we followed a system that would produce better results as in the US or other advanced countries of the world.
A Saudi colleague took offense to my remark and did not think it was appropriate to talk about our shortcomings in front of strangers. According to her, we should hail and praise our government and only talk about our great achievements. I had a hard time explaining to her that we would be doing our country a greater service were we to admit our failures and strive to come up with better solutions for the pressing problems of our time. We would have more credibility and command more respect if we were able to identify our problems and learn to be more humble in our approach when we seek expert advice. Perhaps then we would be able to confront our challenges and succeed in implementing serious reforms.
There is no society free from problems. Even in the US — the superpower of the world — government officials often are criticized, and they are always engaged in debating ways to address the challenges that impede progress and development.
One of the greater challenges in need of a new reform strategy is the poor standard of education in our public schools. Although the Ministry of Education is trying hard to implement reforms the progress is very slow, and our children continue to be deprived of quality education. More should be done in order to provide our children the opportunity to be better qualified and more equipped to compete with other graduates in a fast developing world.
We need to explore all avenues and search for better ways to accelerate educational reforms. I wish the officials in our Ministry of Education would consider looking into the policy of elected school boards for every district. This system is applied in American public education, and I sincerely believe that school board elections would be very productive if we adopted them for our communities.
The American school board is a public institution funded by the state. School boards hold public meetings that are sometimes televised. Any parent can attend and raise issues or ask questions. The board reviews policies that concern school programs or the safety of children, and it identifies problems in order to avoid a repetition of past mistakes. It also reviews budgets and contracts for district schools in every fiscal year. One of the major roles of the school board is to evaluate what is incorporated in the curriculum and to vote on whether to approve it or reject it. The board meets with the Parent Teacher Association, a group we could adopt to involve parents with the children’s school life in a more structured way.
The school board may appoint several committees to address academic needs of children of the district, early childhood, learning disabilities, and extracurricular activities. The main goals of the board include: How best to utilize human resources or budgets for services that cater to a healthy safe environment or better school facilities and utilities; how to address the inequity among children and make sure that all students can benefit and achieve, evaluate the progress and achievements of students by monitoring test scores and finally research new and more adequate annual programs to enhance student ability and performance.
The elected members of the school board serve terms that range from one to four years depending on the district’s bylaws, and they must run for election. During their terms they are required to deliver on their promises; otherwise, they are not re-elected. In America, the dedication of the school board members guarantees the success of their schools. Experienced parents act as volunteers in their district’s public schools and are given the opportunity to be more involved in upgrading their children’s education. Active parents, like Lisa Edstrom, who was a volunteer in her district’s public schools for more than 13 years, recently was elected a member of a school board in Minnesota because her district appreciated the program she outlined in her campaign. She promised to ensure quality education for students at all academic levels — the bright, the weak and the disabled.
Edstrom advocated reliable funding for educational programs that cater to children with learning disabilities. She promised to ensure that money would be spent on quality teaching and much-needed reforms, and she stressed the need for programs that teach children leadership skills so that after school they are positively engaged to work for the common good. Does not that sound like a brilliant campaign to accelerate reforms?
Our Ministry of Education must not continue to hang on to old, failed policies and expect to achieve good results. I hope our education officials consider adopting elected school boards to upgrade education in our schools. I am sure there are plenty of willing and qualified parents in our communities who would appreciate any opportunity to contribute in developing our school curriculum and uplifting the environment in our schools. The future of our country’s children should be every parent’s concern.
Proper oversight of our schools will happen only when parents resolve to take an active role in education and work toward creating the future instead of perpetuating the past. The past has not worked, and the reforms needed are those aimed at our nation’s competitiveness in the world, not fostering intolerance for other viewpoints or imprinting the worst of our past in our textbooks and in our children’s minds. Most of us know this is true. It is time to stop simply talking and finally start acting on the realities that in the past have been swept under the carpet of our national conscience.
— Samar Fatany is a Saudi radio journalist.
