RIYADH: Summertime means children are out of school, and this often means after a couple of weeks they become bored. Summer camps can help youngsters enjoy and experience something different for a change, but in Saudi Arabia the options for boys and girls are far from equal.
Many of the so-called summer camps for girls are basically Qur’an lessons that are taught in public school buildings.
Lama Al-Hugail, a mother of two girls, said she tried to enroll her two daughters in a nearby public school “camp”, but found the activities below her expectations.
“My daughters are young. I wanted them to go and enjoy their time with new people to develop their communication skills,” she said. “I was surprised to learn that these summer camps teach basic Arabic and mainly Qur’an. I teach my daughters Qur’an at home. I don’t really need to send them elsewhere to learn it again. I wanted them to learn something different and have fun.” Boys, on the other hand, are offered activities that mainly revolve around football, but may also include other outings that have fun summertime activities, as well as religious and some educational courses.
For Abdul Salam Al-Marshad, 13, even some educational courses are too much. He would prefer the camps stick mainly to fun in the open. “I enjoy going every day to the center because I meet new friends and I like exercising, especially swimming,” he said. “I don’t like the fact that we have math classes and are given homework. This is a vacation! We should have fun only.”
The summer programs for girls offered in Riyadh public school buildings lack this balance between fun and educational programs, essentially turning the summer break into a course on Islamic teaching.
A school principal pointed out that the idea of math courses and exercises is crucial for students.
“From an educational perspective, even the brain should have exercises during such big breaks. However, programs for summer learners should be combined with a lot of non-curricular activities such as sports,” he said. “As for girls, the chances are limited because of a lack of teachers during the summertime, so that leaves them with only Islamic studies.”
Lamia Al-Othman, a teacher said that parents want their kids to have fun in a useful way. “It is not fair to have girls stay home or go to school where they study what I can teach them at home. My daughters always ask me why don’t they go to a center that can provide similar activities like the one where their brothers go,” Al-Othman said, adding that any program for girls other than the ones offered in Islamic teaching are provided by “private recreational centers that cost a fortune.”
“I am a teacher and I know for sure that the notion of girls’ summer camp with sports or computer courses is a big question mark at the Ministry of Education.”
Some people with large homes and yards have begun to offer summertime activities for pre-teen girls, even posting fliers to the public, but some parents question whether this is a safe or even legal option.
