I graduated from the higher secondary in 1974 from the only high school in Al-Ahsa back then. It had around 10 classrooms with 20 students enrolled in each class. During those days, there were about half a dozen junior high (preparatory) schools with less than 20 students per class. There were no private schools at that time. They were all public schools built by the Ministry of Education. Nowadays, there are tens of public high schools and many more junior high schools. Many of the schools have tens of classrooms and many of them are overcrowded. At that time, the total estimated population of Saudi Arabia was around 8 million people. But in 1974, Saudi Arabia witnessed the biggest baby boom known to the world. The Saudi population had tripled since then. And until few years ago, we had the highest population growth rate and one of the highest family sizes in the world.
In 1974, I used to cover many parts of Riyadh on foot. Now Riyadh is one of the most densely populated and the fastest growing cities in the world. Nowadays, you need more than an hour with no traffic just to drive the highway loop surrounding the capital. Big cities, many scattered towns around the country and most important, a fast-growing population needs plans. And it is not about managing cash flow. It is more about human development and it is not the size of the population that matters. It is the size of the family that makes the difference in any development plan. A square mile in many cities in Saudi Arabia has hundreds of thousands of people. This needs many schools, hospitals and many other civic services, which makes it very hard for planners to improve the infrastructure. In other words, we need to have plans in place to slow down the population growth in the Kingdom.
Until few years ago, the topic of family planning or plans to slow down the population growth was a taboo. Many religious and social scholars opposed it. But just a few weeks ago, the Shoura Council debated and voted regarding plans to reduce birth rate.
It is true that it was turned down at the Shoura Council but it is big change in the attitude that the subject is talked about and debated at such a high level. Above all, this delicate subject would be forwarded to the king for a final decision.
It is true that the assets and resources are available and the per capita income in Saudi Arabia is one of the highest in the area but it is the issue of the ability to raise, educate and take care of a child by his parents that matters. Raising and educating more than two children these days is very difficult. It needs a steady good income and tremendous amount of time and energy. This is why many people are asking about the reasons behind youngsters roaming around the streets late into the night.
We also see many teenagers roaming the streets in their cars indicating that their parents are least bothered about their whereabouts. Children need more attention and better parenting. Your child could be sitting next to you but he could be chatting with unknown person hundreds of miles away. Raising children is not a part-time job. It is a full-time undertaking that requires tiring efforts on part of the parents.
Family planning is not some foreign conspiracy. It is an internal matter that has to be dealt with effectively. If we Saudis adopt good family planning measures, it will benefit the future generations. Half of the Saudi people are in the 20s, so it is very important to have a change in the Saudi demography.
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@mulhim12
