THE tale of Saudi students abroad is not a happy one. The Ministry of Higher Education is not at all attentive to their welfare. As the students represent human wealth, the ministry should help resolve their problems so that they can dedicate their time to studying, which will definitely be reflected in the progress of our country. The ministry seems content that it has done its job by sending the students abroad. Sending students abroad for higher education is a national priority aimed at creating qualified cadres to meet the needs of our country’s continuing development.
The problems faced by some of our students abroad can be shown in a letter that I received from a Saudi woman who accompanied her husband and decided to take advantage of the opportunity to complete her own studies. Here is the letter:
I am the wife of a Saudi student who was sent by the Ministry of Higher Education to Edinburgh (Scotland) for advanced studies. I left an excellent job in Riyadh to accompany him and to use the opportunity to do my own master’s degree.
I left our six-month-old child with my parents in the Kingdom and I began my time abroad by studying the language. After two months, my father and mother joined us. They stayed with us for five months during which time they took care of my son while I attended classes. I made good marks and was given unconditional admission to the university. My parents then had to return to Saudi Arabia and so I stayed at home to look after my son. Of course, I had to give up my studies.
You may wonder why I am telling you all this. The reason is simple. I want to show you that my husband and I cannot look after our child and, at the same time, attend university classes because paying a baby sitter costs more than renting a house. I am now at a loss. I do not know what to do when the university opens. From the ministry, we receive 171 pounds per month for our child, which is not enough to pay for his food and diapers.
As you probably know, winter here in Scotland is cold and harsh. We only have a heater in one room because we cannot afford the cost of electricity for heating the others. We pay 150 pounds in electricity bills a month for one heater, a refrigerator and three lights in the living room. Because of this, we do not have the luxury of taking baths as often as we might like.
Saudi students abroad have another problem that they are not used to. This is the rental contract, which is signed for a minimum period of six months. They cannot break the contract or they may face expulsion from school or even imprisonment.
I will make a breakdown of our monthly budget so you can see for yourself the problems we face:
Rent: pounds 700
Nursery (baby sitter): 800
Electricity: 150
Food: 250
Baby milk, diapers: 160
Telephone, Internet: 30
Mobile: 30
Bus tickets: 82
TV tax: 11.25
Total: 2,213.25
Our monthly allowance from the ministry is 1,955 pounds. You can see there is a shortage of 258.25 pounds every month, which we somehow have to pay. I consider myself fortunate because my parents helped us during my language studies. But what about other students who have no one to help them?
I tried to work but I could not get a job because I am veiled. What does the ministry say? Does it send students abroad to study and come back qualified or just to face trouble and be miserable?
