Women’s Education in Saudi Arabia The Way Forward
Source:
http://www.ideationcenter.com/home/ideation_article/47143812 Education in Saudi Arabia is an area in which women have experienced significant progress. The Saudi government has gone to considerable effort to increase girls’ access to education and reduce the gender gap at different educational levels. Women’s education has brought about a number of social developments in the country, such as a reduction in fertility and mortality rates, an improvement in health and nutrition, and an increase in female participation in the labor force. However, lingering social norms, local traditions, and the structure of the system of public education have been constraints on women’s realization of their equal opportunities in society and their full participation in the labor market. Today, reforming the educational system for girls has become a priority as well as a great challenge for the Saudi government.
Saudi Arabia has invested large amounts of money in the system of public education. However, the substantial increase has not resulted in an equal increase in women’s production output. Investing in women’s education has led to a quantitative expansion of the number of girls’ schools, to the detriment of the quality provided and the skills developed. Educational reform in the country has focused for the past few years mainly on infrastructure changes, building schools, hiring a large number of teachers, and issuing a loaded curriculum. A discrepancy exists between the type of skills provided for in the curricula of public education for girls and those needed in the labor market. The absence of those skills has led to a high unemployment rate among Saudi women and a high participation rate for foreign labor in the country. Educational reforms should focus on improving the equity outcomes of the system of public education for girls for further training and lifelong learning, while promoting employability, productivity, and social inclusion.
A more flexible perception of women’s participation in the workforce is needed. This would generate more job opportunities for Saudi women, contributing to national income, while reducing the country’s dependence on foreign labor. Further educational reforms and developments, improving the quality of girls’ education and emphasizing their role in community development, should strive to produce a society committed to mobilizing its human resources for a competitive market.
It is true that Saudi society has its unique social characteristics; however, the Saudi government should invest more in specific specializations and skills so as to build a balance between tradition and the demands for the productive participation of women in society.
Our analysis identifies the major achievements made by the Saudi government in the field of public education for girls. It also probes the issues which are hampering the development of girls’ education and women’s active involvement in the labor market. Finally, it presents a number of policy reforms and recommendations that, if implemented, would lead to the institution of high-quality education for women, along with a more advanced and knowledge based society, the participation of Saudi women in society, and the reshaping of the sociocultural perception of women in Saudi society.
The Saudi Government: Decades of AchievementToward Universal Education
A major priority of the Saudi government has been to guarantee the right to education to all male and female citizens, free of charge without any discrimination. This right is embedded in the fundamental provisions of the Basic Law of Governance and in all education and training laws, which makes education compulsory for children between the ages of 6 and15, with equal conditions for access to free education.
Over the past 40 years, the government has succeeded in building an educational infrastructure that has led to an increase in school and university enrollment as well as a reduction in illiteracy rates. It has provided basic education for children by enrolling all school age children (boys and girls) in primary school and offering literacy classes for adults (men and women). Achieving universal primary education encompasses not only full enrollment but also high-quality education—i.e., all children who are attending school regularly should learn basic literacy and numeracy skills and complete primary school on time. According to the latest UNESCO 2008 projections, Saudi Arabia is moving toward the goal of achieving universal primary education with rapid progress but still has further to go.ii
Results indicate that net enrollment (for both boys and girls) in primary education has increased significantly, from 84.5 percent in 1990 to 93.0 percent in 2007. The number of students enrolled in primary education reached 2.44 million in 2007, distributed in 13,454 schools across the country. The percentage of students who had started grade 1 and reachedgrade 5 also increased, from 74.5 percent in 1990 to 98.2 percent in 2007.iii
The number of schools in the kingdom reached 31,399 in 2005–06, an increase of 808 schools or 2.6 percent from the previous year 2004–05. Also, the total number of enrolled students, both boys and girls, reached 4,746,579 in 2005–06, an increase of 103,410 students or 2.2 percent from the previous year.iv
Joint Saudi-Japanese push for education urged
Date: 11 July 2010
Source: P.K Abdul Ghafour, Arab News,
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article82772.ece JEDDAH: A Japanese parliamentarian has called for strengthening Saudi-Japanese joint investment in higher education, the engine of development. “The relation between the two countries has to move further focusing on human resources rather than material resources,” said Toshiaki Koizumi, a member of the House of Representatives.
He made this comment while presenting a paper on “Saudi Arabia and Japan: A Dialogue for Future,” at a seminar that was held on the sidelines of Tokyo International Book Fair. Koizumi said the two countries have to increase joint investment in education. Saudi Arabia is the guest of honor at the show.
Speaking on the topic “Saudi-Japan partnership relations,” Yousuf Al-Shaer, a Saudi academic, stressed the importance of in expanding joint investment in industries and facilitating visit visas to business delegations from both countries.
Dr. Abdullah Al-Tayer, Saudi cultural attaché in the UAE, spoke about “Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah’s interfaith initiative,” saying it would promote values of tolerance and moderation.
Professor Yuzo Itagaki advised the Japanese people to learn more about the Islamic civilization with the aim of understanding other cultures and rejecting the idea of clash of civilizations. “Islam is against confrontation and accepts pluralism and diversity. It’s a religion with a global outlook,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted the Japanese professor as saying.
Saudi women were also represented at the seminar. Dr. Aysha Al-Hussein spoke about women’s education in the Kingdom and highlighted the achievements of Saudi women. “Hayat Sindi, who is a Saudi woman, has been named one of the best 15 scientists in the world,” she pointed out. Dr. Ghada Al-Motairy has won the highest US medal for scientific research. Saudi Ambassador to Japan Abdul Aziz Turkistani presented a paper on “Saudi-Japan relations from partnership to economic integration.” He said Japan is the second largest trading partner of Saudi Arabia. “Our relations have now expanded to education, culture and sports. There are 320 Saudi students in Japan. Saudi universities have signed cooperation agreements with their counterparts in Japan,” he explained.
Abdul Mohsen Al-Sumaih, director of King Abdullah Cultural Dialogue Center, called for the establishment of research chairs at Saudi and Japanese universities. He also called for the exchange of students and university professors, with each country receiving 50 students of the other country every year. Fahd Al-Aboud spoke about the role of universities in creating a knowledge-based economy, stressing the importance of establishing more science and technology colleges to have their impact on economy, industry and the gross national product.
Meanwhile, a large number of Japanese people visited the Saudi pavilion at the book fair and Saudi students in Japan provided them with all assistance. Many Japanese were attracted by the models of the Two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madinah. The section for Arabic calligraphy also drew large crowds. Saudi calligrapher Ibrahim Al-Arafi wrote the names of visitors in Arabic while Japanese calligrapher Noboko Sajava wrote in Japanese.
Many visitors spent time at the Saudi traditional tent where they were served dates and Arabic coffee. The pavilion displayed 527 Saudi titles including 350 in Arabic and 110 in English and 67 in other languages.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article82772.ece Swiss education facilities continue to attract Saudis
Date: 2 August, 2010
Source: K.S. Ramkumar, Arab News,
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article94476.ece JEDDAH: Students heading from Saudi Arabia to Switzerland for their education continue to increase, according to the Swiss Consul General.
Hans Stalder said that a sizeable number of them are already pursuing studies there, especially at hotel management schools. He also claimed the country, which has some major joint Saudi-Swiss ventures in operation, is also receiving a large number of tourists from the Kingdom.
Growing bilateral ties between Switzerland and Saudi Arabia were in focus at the official Swiss National Day celebration at Stalder’s residence on Sunday night. Officials, diplomats, businessmen and members of the community were present in large numbers.
“It’s difficult to estimate how many have been visiting Switzerland from the Kingdom, as visas are issued by Schengen Group, an association of states in Europe that in theory adhere to the ideals of the Schengen Convention,” a Swiss official told Arab News. Switzerland has been one of the newest European countries to join the group.
The celebration marked the strong bonds of friendship existing between Switzerland and the Kingdom. “The involvement of reputable Swiss watch companies and joint ventures in the event was proof of the growing bilateral commercial ties,” Stalder told the gathering.
After playing a taped message from Swiss Confederation President Doris Leuthard, the consul general said the Swiss National Day, on Aug. 1, had been celebrated for just over a century.
It was only in 1993 that the hardworking Swiss agreed that they could all take the day off, even though the event it commemorates took place over 700 years ago.
The day was chosen because Aug. 1, 1291 was the day where three Alpine cantons swore the oath of confederation, an act that later came to be regarded as the foundation of Switzerland.
Representatives from Schwyz, Unterwalden and Uri met on the Rutli field, high above Lake Lucerne, to swear a bond of brotherhood and agreed to act jointly if their freedoms were threatened by outside aggressors.
Therefore, the official part of the Aug. 1 celebrations still take place on the Rutli field, with a public address by the federal president.