JEDDAH: Last week, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah extended the “King Abdullah Scholarship Program” by another five years. Studying abroad provides students with the skills needed in this era of globalization and economic prosperity in the Kingdom, and Saudis have long appreciated the value of studying aboard, something that has long been seen as a way of securing good employment. Whether this is true or not is another matter.
According to the Ministry of Higher Education, there are 62,241 Saudi students, both male and female, studying abroad. Although the Saudi higher education system has developed rapidly to meet Saudi job market needs, including the increased establishment of universities in the Kingdom, many students still prefer to study abroad.
Competition in the workplace has led to calls for higher standards in educational development, and Saudi Arabia, being a country with huge potential and vast resources, has been faced with new challenges in education.
Sara Nadir, a 27-year-old marketing officer at a bank, gained her bachelor’s degree in marketing from the UK. Nadir believes her British degree has helped her find a job. “Of course it has, but at the same time I do not believe companies hire people solely on the fact that they studied abroad. Studying abroad provides you with a rounded and robust level of education through innovative and unconventional methods of teaching that are vastly more advanced than what we have here,” she said. “Taking the latter into consideration, studying abroad definitely makes one more qualified than those who graduate from universities in the Kingdom,” she added.
Nadir said gaining a foreign degree adds value, as everything she learned was not just from books. “My courses were based on providing both the knowledge and skill competencies that are deemed essential for any entry-level employment … So I got to have some hands-on experience before graduating and that gave me the confidence and edge that today’s market is looking for,” she said.
Osamah Feda, a 27-year-old assistant manager in the development department at Hafil Transport Establishment, said having a foreign degree has paved the way for him getting a good job. Feda said he found a job as soon as he returned from the US.
For Osamah, studying abroad has shaped his research skills and given him exposure. “The most important thing, more than the degree itself, is the experience of living in a foreign country and dealing with people” he added.
On the other hand, Hala Nass, a 24-year-old who obtained a bachelor’s degree from a Jeddah-based business college, went to France after graduating to study toward an MA in international business. She believes that Arabs in general feel foreigners, especially Americans and the citizens of some European countries, are smarter or more educated than Saudis. She therefore feels that having a foreign degree gives one a better footing in the job market. “From my own experience, after coming back from France with my MA I noticed that people think I am different. They think I am more educated and qualified than those who studied here, and so I got some great job offers,” she added.
Lama Al-Dossary, a 27-year-old personnel adviser with Saudi Aramco, graduated from the American University of Sharjah in the UAE. Al-Dossary said her foreign degree has made it easier for her to apply for jobs and get interviews. “Even though I haven’t graduated from a university outside the GCC, it has nonetheless made things easier,” said Al-Dossary.
Meanwhile, some people believe obtaining a foreign degree does not mean much and what is more important is exposure to Western societies. Mahmoud Ali, a 33-year-old manager at a private company, said he graduated from the US after 9/11. Ali said that besides developing proficiency in English, and gaining organizational and administrational skills, his foreign degree has not put him in any better stead. “On a personal level, the degree has given me a lot. On a professional level, however, my experience and hard work have made the most difference and added value to my CV,” he said.
Loay Alfi, a 26-year-old assistant manager at KAUST Industrial Collaboration Program, believes that obtaining a foreign degree from the US, the UK or Europe does not add any value in itself. “What really adds value is the engagement with and understanding of foreign culture,” he said. “I know people who studied abroad and then returned to the Kingdom and still cannot find jobs. I do not believe that obtaining a foreign degree makes a difference in terms of finding jobs,” said Alfi.
When Saudization was first introduced, the drawbacks of the Saudi education system came into the limelight, something that then led to the importance of reforming the Kingdom’s system of education. It was felt that successful Saudization hinges on educational reform, and that those educated abroad tend to have higher work standards and ethics than those who remain in the Kingdom.
Many companies complain that Saudi employees, especially those educated in the Kingdom, are not properly educated and have little work ethics. However, as far as recruiters and human resources developers are concerned, having a foreign degree is useful on a personal level rather than an educational one.
A relationship manager at the training and development center of a local bank said having a foreign degree does not make that much of a difference. He believes an employee’s performance is more important than the degree they have. “There are many graduates from universities within the Kingdom with good English skills. So, a degree from the US or Jeddah wouldn’t make a big difference. It’s all education in the end,” he said.
Amani Bantan, who owns Golden Telad, a female recruiting company, said that graduates with foreign degrees have better opportunities in the job market than those who graduate from local universities.
“The Saudi higher education system in many areas is not developed or updated. Those who graduate from other parts of the world have better English language, the most advanced curriculums and the level of exposure and education is completely different,” she said.
Bantan explained that it is presently difficult for Saudi graduates from local and foreign universities to find jobs but those who have foreign degrees have a better chance. “Local graduates, however, compromise more in terms of salary and allowances,” said Bantan.
She also stressed that people with foreign degrees understand work ethics as international universities, unlike Saudi universities, prepare students for the job market. “As a recruiter, I notice that those who graduate from institutes inside the Kingdom are unstable at work, they’re not really sure what they want. As for graduates from foreign universities, they are more disciplined and more committed to their jobs,” she added.
Nisreem Al-Sabban, a 28-year-old recruiter officer at a local bank, believes there is a huge difference between a foreign degree and a local one. She explained how foreign degree graduates have computer and English skills which local university graduates usually lack.
Dalia Bajunaid, a recruiter at a bank, said that as a recruiter she prefers graduates with foreign degrees. “Its not the degree more than the lifestyle and the exposure they’ve received while studying abroad,” she said.
She described foreign degree graduates as “more mature” and “responsible.” “I endorse both. It all comes down to personality in the end,” she added.
On the other hand, Saudis who wish to study abroad have to make sure the university they choose is accredited. On returning to the Kingdom, many Saudis often discover that the Ministry of Higher Education will not accredit their degrees. The private sector on the other hand is not necessarily concerned about such matters.
Sara Nadir learned that her London-based university is not accredited when she applied for a scholarship to pursue an MA. “I obtained my Bachelor’s degree before the scholarship program was introduced, and I did not really understand how important it was to undertake a degree that is accredited by the Ministry of Higher Education,” she said.
On the other hand, Mahmoud Ali was given a Ministry of Higher Education scholarship to study abroad. The degree he gained was subsequently authenticated by the ministry’s branch in Washington. “When I got back and wanted to authenticate it in Riyadh, they said that my certificate was not recognized,” he said.
