Developing Education in Saudi Arabia - Research Paper Example

? Developing Education in Saudi Arabia of due: Executive summary The purpose of this report is to offer manageable solutions to the problem faced by the ministry of education in Saudi Arabia; in terms of the high number of students failing in their higher education studies due to the change in the language of instruction from Arabic to English at this mature level. To remedy this problem, a number of things need to be done. First, language of instruction should be changed to English right from the primary level of education i.e. primary and secondary levels of education to allow proper time for mastery of the language by the time they get to higher education and an evaluation of the methods of teaching the English language. Secondly, intensive training should be offered to the students as this will cater for their individual needs and third, in job training for teachers to equip them with competence in the English language and professionalism. The following are my recommendations; i. Change the language of instruction form Arabic to English in all levels of education ii. Evaluate methods of teaching iii. Offer intensive training to students iv. In job training for teachers Introduction and global overview of issue It is known that the official language in Saudi Arabia is Arabic. Despite the fact that second language in Saudi Arabia is the English language, students are still struggling with it. This is mainly because education was mostly limited to instruction for a select few Islamic schools after independence in 1932. This means that education was mainly ‘religious education’ rather than formal education. The ‘educated’ in Saudi Arabia have for a long time been disadvantaged because of the lack of proper training for the job market. This was further emphasized by Lindsey (2010) who says “the nation needs educated young Saudis with marketable capabilities and a capacity for innovation and entrepreneurship. That is not what Saudi Arabia’s education system delivers, steeped as it is in rote study and spiritual instruction”. “The learning of Islam controls the Saudi educational organization. In particular, the memorization by rote of sections of the Qu'ran, its elucidation and comprehension (Tafsir) and the application of Islamic culture to everyday life is at the heart of the curriculum. Religion trained in this way is also a mandatory subject for all university learners. As a result, Saudi Arabian youths lack the education and methodological skills the private sector requires" (Al-Ahmed, 2010). This Education System has stifled analytical thought, and as a result, the education curriculum does not favor advancement and resourcefulness; both of which are important to the development. This education system also focuses on the Arabic language so much that the English language is not giving any importance; thus the students find it difficult learning in the English language, in higher education. Therefore, something needs to be done to change the focus of education from the traditional Saudi techniques of memorization and rote education mainly in religious teachings in Arabic towards encouraging students to analyze and issue-solve as well as creating a worldlier and vocationally based literacy system that can only be taught in English. For this to be achieved, the English language needs to be mastered first. Company background (Al-wahhab, 1970) says that in Saudi Arabia, children aged 3–5 years go to kindergarten. On the other hand, attendance of nursery schools is not mandatory for enrollment of first grade of primary schools. Pre-schools are not part of the official education system. Some privately owned nurseries have come up with technical and financial help from the government. In accordance to Saudi Arabia’s government data, 100,714 children (51,364 males and 49,350 females) were in pre-primary education in 2007. The average enrollment rate was 10.8% in total; 11.1% boys and 10.4% girls according to UNESCO. This shows that there is a preference to educate boys compared to girls in early childhood education that is not so serious in the first place. Primary education lasts six years, where children at the age of 6 join the first grade of primary schooling. All national primary schools are day institutions. So as to join the intermediate education, primary school learners are expected to pass the final test at the end of Grade 6 of primary school, and obtain the Elementary Education Certificate. As per the government statistics, 2,442,482 students (1,255,117 males and 1,187,365 females) were in primary education in 2007, and the number of teachers in total was 217,555 (107,227 male and 110,328 females) in the same year. Intermediate education in Saudi Arabia lasts for three years. According to government data, 1,144,548 students (609,300 male and 535,248 females) were in intermediate education in the year 2007, and the number of teachers totals was 108,065 (54,034 male and 54,031 females) (UNESCO Institute for Statistics. (2007). According to average enrollment the total rate is 95.9%. Higher education in Saudi Arabia lasts for four years in the technical fields, for example, medicine and engineering. There are 24 government universities, most of them established within a short span of time. They were established under the Seventh Development Plan, and they consist of colleges and departments that offer diplomas, bachelor's, master’s and PhD degrees in various scientific and humanities fields. According to a World Bank report, more than 70% of the scholars in Saudi Arabia are in the fields of social sciences, a figure similar to other Arab nations. The problem in education is therefore, not in terms of inadequate number of teachers or number of schools, especially in the primary, secondary and higher education levels. It is in the curriculum that is concentrated in rote learning for religious teachings. A good curriculum should aim at equipping the learners with skills for the various job markets and most importantly, in the area of science and technology. The country has focused more on humanities because a lot of emphasis has been made in religious education; which the learners find easy and comfortable to learn because it is taught in Arabic. They tend to avoid technical courses because of the language used in teaching them. Failing higher education has great implications in that getting a job in the area of study could be difficult because it shows a lack of skill and competence. It is a sad situation when one fails because of comprehension problems. Description and analysis of options There are various options for remedying this problem as I said earlier. First the change of the language of instruction will take time for it to make an impact in education. This is because it will be implemented to the young students in primary school and secondary school. This is because they will have the advantage of learning the language for a number of years and have an opportunity to master the language. This will involve the introduction of English as a compulsory subject in the curriculum in all levels of education. Teachers will also have to ensure that they use the English language as the only language of instruction except when teaching another language like Arabic. The other option is that of evaluating the methods of teaching in higher education and other levels. This will help tackle the problem of poor grades from lack of comprehension and make learning a pleasant and interesting experience for both the students and teachers. Ramsen (1992) says “When interest is aroused in something, whether it is an academic subject or a hobby, we enjoy working hard at it. We come to feel that we can in some way own it and use it to make sense of the world around us.” (p. 98). He says this when talking about making methods of teaching interesting and learner centered. This option will see that the learner is eager to learn the language by participating in learning activities and using the language for communication outside the classroom. This option will also help learners in the learning of the new language of instruction faster. The option of intensive training sessions for students will be handled by the teachers as they deal with individual needs in their subjects. Intensive training, will involve private sessions with the student, where areas of difficulty will be discussed in detail for a better understanding of the topic. This will ensure that no student lags behind for lack of understanding or slowness. This option would be more effective in the basic levels of education due to fewer numbers of students at those levels of education. In job teacher training is the most important option of all because teacher competence is essential in any level of teaching. Teachers need to have mastery of the language of instruction and be updated on new and better methods of teaching at all time. This will be convenient because the teacher training will be done as they work. (Werner and Desimone, 2012) Talks about in job training, “on-the-job training, also known as OJT, is teaching the skills, knowledge, and competencies that are needed to perform a job within the workplace and work environment”. On the job training has been used in many other areas not just in education as it offers positive result in terms of productivity and competence. Conclusion and Recommendations In conclusion, higher education is the most critical level of education because if offers opportunities for specialization, where learners gain knowledge and skills that they will apply in their respective careers. This poor outcome of students in higher education also reflects poorly on the country in that their education products; are seen to be incapable of learning and incompetent in their respective job markets. This is a serious problem as it could have great repercussions in the country’s economy. This is because poor degrees, again say a lot about an individual’s competence and so getting employed could be hard leading to a high level of unemployment in the country which will in turn affect the economy. This report seeks to solve the problem of large numbers of students who are failing in their studies in higher education in Saudi Arabia. It does this by offering solutions to the problem of change of the language of instruction from Arabic to English at a very crucial stage of learning. By solving this problem, the students will be at a better position to do well and get higher classifications in their degrees. This report also offers solutions for the problem all can be used, or the best solution can be chosen to be implemented. I would recommend changes in the education system in the country that would foster comprehensive learning in higher education that will result to good performance. The recommendations are as follows; i. Change in the language of instruction form Arabic to English in all levels of education ii. Evaluate the methods of teaching in all levels of education iii. Offer intensive training to students at the basic levels of education iv. In job training for teachers at the various levels of education Implementing these changes at the required levels of education will not only improve performance in higher education but in all levels of education. This is because the changes will bring better methods of teaching and cater for individual needs of the students making them competent in the English language. The changes will also affect the general performance of all other subjects in they are followed in the teaching of the various subjects. There is a need for change, in the educational system, in Saudi Arabia. This is because the student outcome in higher education reflects a problem in the education system. Fenwick (2001) talks about evaluating teaching methods based on student outcome. “Student learning is one outcome, if not a priority, of higher education in general and teaching. But can scholar outcomes be used in reliable and responsible ways to analyze and advance teaching within today’s complex academic milieu?” Fenwick goes on to say that indeed student out is the best for evaluating teaching methods. This is because they are the product of the teaching methods being practiced in an education system. Effective learner centered methods of teaching usually has positive results in student outcome. Teaching the English language in both primary and secondary will give a positive result if technology is used. Research indicates that computer technology can help support learning and is especially useful in developing the higher-order skills of critical thinking, analysis, and scientific inquiry "by engaging students in authentic, advanced tasks within collaborative learning contexts" (Brady, 2012). This suggests that students can benefit from technology-enhanced collaborative learning methods and the interactive learning process. The integration of technology in teaching the English language and all other subjects in the English language will make the learning process interesting; in that the learners will be intrigued and eager to use technology in learning. The curriculum will be installed in the computers in the English language; to enable learners do private studies and practice reading on computers that will help in pronunciation and spelling even without the help of the teacher. Technology will also help fasten the realization of improving students’ results in higher education and other levels of education, as well. I would recommend for all recommendations of this report to be implemented immediately so as rectify the situation in the country’s higher education. References Al-wahhab, -W. A.-W. A. (1970). Education in Saudi Arabia: A history of fifteen years effort to spread education in a developing country, an orthodox diagnosis, and some proposals for a better future. London: Macmillan. Al-Ahmed, Ali. (26th November, 2010). This medieval Saudi education system must be reformed. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2010/nov/26/Saudi-Arabia-religious-education Brady, K. P. (2012). Technology in schools. Los Angeles, Calif: Sage Reference. Fenwick, T. (2001). Using student outcomes to evaluate teaching: A cautious exploration. Retrieved from http://www.edweb.sdsu.edu/bober/montgemery/article003.pdf Lindsey, Ursula. (October 3rd, 2010). The chronicle of higher education: Saudi Arabia’s education reforms emphasize training for jobs. Retrieved from http://www.chronicle.com/article/saudi-Arabias-education/124771/ Ramsden, P. (1992). Learning to teach in higher education. London: Routledge. UNESCO Institute for Statistics. (2007). Education counts: Benchmarking progress in 19 WEI countries : world education indicators, 2007. Montreal: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Werner, J. M., & Desimone, R. L. (2012). Human resource development. Mason, OH: South Western. Read More