The Public Higher Education in Saudi Arabia - Case Study Example

Background about the Public Higher Education in Saudi Arabia Overview of Higher Education Development in Saudi Arabia In 1957, it was necessary to open a university in order to educate Saudi students rather than sending them overseas for higher education. Thus, in response to that need, King Saud University was inaugurated and established in Riyadh. Higher education was exclusively offered to the Saudi citizens, and each student was paid a stipend for enrolling into higher education. After the establishment of King Saud University, other six universities were established within a period of twenty years. These universities include Islamic University in 1961, King Fahd University for Petroleum and Minerals in 1963, King Abdul-Aziz University in 1967, Um Al-Qura University in 1967, Imam Muhammad Bin Saud Islamic University in 1974, and King Faisal University in 1975 (Alamri 2011, p88). The increase in the number of universities necessitated the establishment of the Ministry of Higher Education in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia’s higher education has undergone significant growth in the last 10 years. The higher education system has developed to include 18 government universities, 18 primary teacher’s colleges for men, 80 primary teacher’s colleges for women, 37 colleges, and institutes for health, 12 technical colleges, and 33 private colleges and universities. It is important to note that number of private universities in increasing constantly (Alamri 2011, p89). The Saudi Arabia Ministry of Education has put much emphasis on the development of higher education system. The ministry began an initiative to prepare a contemporary and a long-term plan for higher education. This will enable Saudi Arabia to fulfil most of the challenges in the creation of a sustainable academic process (AAFAQ 2005, p1). Recent Growth and Expansion Saudi Arabia’s government sponsored human resources development has led to exponential growth in the quality and quantity of education. The number of students (male and female) in general and higher education phases have multiplied ten folds, from approximately 547, 000 students in 1970 to over 5.37 students in the year 2005. The persistent emphasis on human resources in the socio-economic development strategy has increased the quantity of students in higher education from 7, 000 in 1970 to approximately 604, 000 students in 2005. In other words, since the year 1970, the number of students multiplied by 86 times. In 2005, 58 percent of the students enrolled were female, while the other 42 percent was male. The number of female students enrolled at the bachelor level were 327, 500 (a representation of 64.7% of the undergraduates). The percentage of new female students enrolled in 2005 was 52.5% at the Bachelor level (Marginson, Kaur, and Sawir 2011, p417). The table below shows the number of students and graduates in higher education in Saudi Arabia between 2004 and 2005. Table 1: The number of students and graduates in higher education in Saudi Arabia between 2004 and 2005 (Source Marginson et al. 2011, p418) Saudi Arabia includes private and public institutions of higher education. The Ministry of Higher Education supervises the public universities. Up to 2002, there were only eight universities in Saudi Arabia serving close to 18 million people. In the same year, the Saudi government launched an ambitious reform and expansion program, which was driven by both quick growth in secondary school graduates and global strategy. According to a report issued by the Ministry of Economy and Planning in 2003, the growing numbers of secondary school graduates was a major challenge with significant social and economic implications. Amongst its proposals was the Saudi government to develop effective measures and policies to take in these graduates in productive employment and/or higher education. Since 2004, the budget for higher education has tripled to approximately SAR 15 billion. Most of the money is spent on the 100 new universities and colleges (Marginson et al. 2011, p418; Romani 2009, p1). It is important to note that at the end of 2006, there were 21 public universities in Saudi Arabia (Marginson et al. 2011, p418). It is important to note that Saudi Arabia has started a massive overhaul of its higher education system. More than 100 new colleges and universities have been established by the Ministry of Higher Education in the past few years. As indicated before, the new colleges and universities are funded by the $15 billion. The Saudi government has removed its ban on private universities, and will be offering $10 million towards building costs and scholarships for almost six private institutions being built (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace 2007, p1; Lindsey 2010, p1). How Higher Education is organized Saudi Arabia’s post-secondary education system is to some extent similar to the United States’ educational system. The procedures and patterns of the educational system have been adopted in accordance with Islamic customs, traditions, and systems. In 1975, a section of the Ministry of Education became a distinct entity, and was renamed the Ministry of Higher Education. The Ministry of Higher Education had the sole purpose of dealing with matters related to higher education. Some of its responsibilities included the establishment and administering of colleges and universities in Saudi Arabia, and proposing the creation of higher educational institutions and allowing them to provide special programs based on the needs of the country (Ministry of Higher Education 2010, p1). The supreme authority for post-secondary education (higher education) affairs is the Higher Education Council. The council has the specific task of coordinating and supervising its institutions. However, it does have any specific task on the military education. Among its responsibilities, include guiding university education in accordance with the implemented policy, overseeing the development of higher education in all sectors of the economy, coordinating universities particularly in field of scientific degrees and departments, formulating regulations and rules for compliance by all higher learning institutions and encouraging research. As noted earlier, Saudi Arabia’s higher education has undergone significant growth in the last five decades. The colleges and universities offer graduate studies programs, which give doctoral, and master’s degrees in some of the fields. Higher education in Saudi Arabia is designed and assessed based on the overall national development plan. It is regarded as important in fulfilling the greatest resource in the Kingdom – its people (Ministry of Higher Education 2010, p1). Teacher colleges, girls’ colleges, universities, and Riyadh College of Technology award bachelor’s degrees in Saudi Arabia. This degree programme usually consists of eight semesters (four years) of full time study. Professional first degrees in law and medicine need five to six years of study. The credit hours required is generally higher than 120 credit hours, and the students are supposed to maintain their cumulative Grade Point Average above 2.00. In the recent decades, private and public universities have tremendously increased their postgraduate programmers. Both PhD and master’s-level programs generally entail considerable coursework and less time is dedicated to thesis/dissertation preparation. Mater’s programme require at least four semesters of study while PhD requires two to eight years. Girls’ colleges and universities offer three forms of postgraduate programmes, which is, higher diploma programmes, master’s programmes, and PhD programme (Netherlands Organization for International Cooperation in Higher Education 2010, p1). Issues and Challenges of Higher Education in Saudi Arabia The main challenge facing higher education institutions today is the development of knowledge economies, that is, an economy that is directly based on the generation, distribution, and utilization of information and knowledge in various service and production activities (Ministry of Higher Education 2012, p1). Despite the fact that the majority of Saudi’s deans of schools have attained their education internationally, bureaucracy is a major challenge in Saudi Arabia’s higher education. Another challenge is the high level of expatriate faculty, and a motivational system for the faculty is absent (for instance, there is discrimination in incentives and salaries). The members of the Saudi Arabian faculty get higher salaries compared to members of the non-Saudi faculty who got lower salaries. Most of the degrees are not offered in Saudi Arabia, and this has limited what a student wants to pursue. On the other hand, important elements, which depend on motivation or hygiene, are missing in Saudi Arabia’s higher education. For instance, not all universities support higher education (Alamri 2011, p88). It is worth noting that opening opportunities to the educated women in Saudi Arabia has been a challenge. This challenge is entangled with the Saudi Arabia’s possibility of separating modern education from the modern culture, and still being capable of accomplishing important results (Reisberg 2011, p1). It is a challenge that will continue to face the nation as it seeks to improve the quantity and quality of higher education. The increasing demand for education in Saudi Arabia needs the expansion of the education system and its programs in all the levels. Funding is also very essential in expanding the education system. The effectiveness of education is assessed by the capability of its system to generate highly skilled people who are capable of creating and achieving social goals. The impact of globalization must be included in the educational reform strategy that will permit Saudi Arabia to maintain its values and traditions, and at the same time face global competition. Technological knowledge and development necessitates the reorganization (of skills and knowledge) and revision of the syllabi for effective application of technology. National identity ought to be protected from being invaded by culture through mass media communication and technology. A balanced approach must be used that will permit the utilization of technology within the cultural limits (Maroun, Samman, Moujaes, and Abouchakra 2008, p24). The mentioned challenges have led to the formulation of several higher education policies in Saudi Arabia. Problems of Leading and Managing Strategies The higher education system in Saudi Arabia is regarded as been pushed to “Saudification.” This is because individuals at the senior levels such as the deans, presidents, vice-presidents, and higher education staff are virtually Saudi. There are very few Saudi academics and those trained in Saudi Arabia are also very few. Most of the deans of the newer universities are trained overseas, and do not have any leadership experience. On the other hand, majority of the overseas staff are highly qualified and experienced. It is important to note that from the perspectives of the senior staff, the main concern is that staff who are non-Saudi do not understand the cultural differences or they are not compliant with the Saudi protocols and customs (Onsman 2011, p521). It is evident that the mix of experienced overseas staff and the inexperienced local staff has developed some tensions whose genesis is the present massification of higher education sector in Saudi Arabia. This situation has been further worsened by the need to employ inexperienced staff from other Islamic nations to fill important gaps in the rapidly increasing staffing necessities in Saudi Arabia. This has resulted in a blind eye being cast towards issues of quality, particularly in newer institutions. On the other hand, older and established universities are drawing high quality staff from other Islamic nations and around the world (Onsman 2011, p521). One of the main goals of higher education in Saudi Arabia is to develop a knowledge economy. To achieve this goal, the Ministry of Higher Education has directed the higher education system towards actual partnerships with the labour market. This is further achieved through the improvement of leadership in Saudi Arabia (Ministry of Higher Education 2012, p1). The problems facing higher education in Saudi Arabia do not include funding. The main problem is the levels and training of leadership, and the necessary expertise and knowledge. The government appoints the reactors, and it is worth noting that all the faculty members are government employees. Tenure is given to the academic staff upon their appointment, thus, it is nearly impossible to fire lacklustre researchers or ineffective lecturers. Majority of the observers suggest that improvement is necessary; however, the nation is struggling to create an academic culture of higher standards of service, research and teaching. A remarkable feature of most senior administrators and academics is that they were educated overseas (Western countries) and are aware of the challenges involved. The main problem is that the top leadership has the necessary expertise and knowledge, while those below them do not have these attributes (Altbach 2011, p1). Dual Authority Structure and Its Implications on the Jurisdictional Boundaries That Represent the Control of Political and Religious Elites over Higher Education Saudi Arabia’s social organization is designed along patriarchal, tribal, and regional networks, and their hierarchical and complicated power structures. All authority is bestowed in power elite involving political and religious leaders. These leaders uphold Islamic law (Shari’a) and religion as the foundation of the nation’s constitution. The political elites control the state apparatuses while the religious (or ulama) scholars practice jurisdiction over institutions and religious matters (Mazawi 2005, p221). Gender segregation is the norm and the law in Saudi Arabia. In higher education, it is expedited by distance education technologies, which avoid face-to-face communication between women and men. Segregation also indicates different curricular opportunities for women and men. In some cases, the female students are not capable of accessing vocational and technical education and training, which is primarily reserved for the male students. The areas only accessible to women are the health care and teaching training in technical education, and close design and production in vocational training (Mazawi 2005, p228). The Role of Higher Education in Saudi Arabia Higher education in Saudi Arabia is expected to play a critical role in the supply of well-qualified and skilled labour at the needed rate (it is specified in the 2005 – 2024 economic development strategy). The requirement for highly skilled and qualified graduates for the labour market and the future economic development is important in any society; the role is usually played by the higher education. The Eighth Development Plan (2005 - 2009) states that Saudi Arabia higher education has a crucial role in the development of technical and scientific base, in the improvement of intellectual activity, and in the delivery of leadership teams in all areas of social, political, cultural, and economic activity (Marginson et al. 2011, p420). The Importance of Improving Human Capital In the government sector, the number of employees is approximately 783, 300 while in the private sector the number of employees is huge, approximately 5.4 million. The large number of employees in the private sector indicates the significance of the private sector Saudi Arabia’s employment and development. However, it is crucial to state that the majority of employees in this sector are expatriates (they represent 88.4 percent of the labour in this sector). On the other hand, majority of the Saudis prefer to work in the government sectors like the ministries of health and education, and oil related industries. The preference to work in government sectors is influenced by the high salaries, prestige, and stability (Achoui 2009, p36). The vision of the Saudi government states that human capital development and economic progress are important in the development of the nation. Accumulation of human capital suggests raising managerial, innovative, and technical competencies of the labour market. Human capital is improved through various learning processes together with guidelines such as encouraging the development and expansion of technology-based SMEs, and raising the standards of scientific and technical education in various education institutions (Achoui 2009, p37). Human resource in the health sector is composed of both expatriate and Saudi workers. Sixty-one percent of workers in this sector are expatriate workers. This has brought instability in the sector and has forced the government to increase the number of Saudi nationals offering health services. To meet its intended target (to develop sufficient health staff in all the specialities), the Ministry of Health has decided to expand all the 43 institutes and colleges (World Health Organization 2006, p21). This expresses the importance of Saudi human capital in Saudi Arabia. References AAFAQ. (2005) AAFAQ – A future plan for university education in the Kingdom [online], AAFAQ. Available from: [Accessed 7 June 2012]. Achoui, M. M. (2009) Human resource development in Gulf countries: An analysis of the trends and challenges facing Saudi Arabia. Human Resource Development International 12(1), pp35-46. Alamri, M. (2011) Higher education in Saudi Arabia. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice 11(4), pp88-91. Altbach, P. G. (2011) From where I sit – Money is the least of their worries [online], Times Higher Education. Available from: [Accessed 22 June 2012]. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. (2007) Saudi reforms in higher education raise questions [online]. Available from: [Accessed 21 June 2012]. Lindsey, U. (2010) Saudi Arabia’s education reforms emphasize training for jobs [online], The Chronicle of Higher Education. Available from: [Accessed 21 June 2012]. Marginson, S., Kaur, S., & Sawir, E. (2011) Higher education in the Asia-Pacific: Strategic responses to globalization (higher education dynamics), London, UK: Springer. Maroun N., Samman, H., Moujaes, C. N., & Abouchakra, R. (2008) How to succeed at education reform: The case for Saudi Arabia and the broader GCC region, Riyadh: Booz & Company. Mazawi, A. E. (2005) The academic profession in a rentier state: The professoriate in Saudi Arabia. Springer 43, pp221-244. Ministry of Higher Education (2010) Saudi Arabia – Kingdom of humanity [online]. Available from: [Accessed 21 June 2012]. Ministry of Higher Education. (2012) About government universities [online]. Available from: [Accessed 7 June 2012]. Netherlands Organization for International Cooperation in Higher Education. (2010) Higher education [online]. Available from: [Accessed 21 June 2012]. Onsman, A. (2011) It is better to light a candle than to ban the darkness: Government led academic development in Saudi Arabian universities. Higher Education 62, pp519-532. Reisberg, L. (2011) Saudi Arabia’s extravagant investment in higher education: Is money enough? [online], Inside Higher Ed. Available from: [Accessed 21 June 2012]. Romani, V. (2009) The politics of higher education in the Middle East: Problems and prospects. Middle East Brief 36, pp1-8. World Health Organization (2006) Country cooperation strategy for WHO and Saudi Arabia 2006 – 2011: Saudi Arabia, Cairo: World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean. Appendix Number of Universities in Saudi Arabia Country 2002/2003 2003/2004 2007/2008 Saudi Arabia 8 11 25 Source: Abouammoh 2009, p7 Number of Students Enrolled in Saudi Arabia Country 2003/2004 2005/2006 2008/2009 Saudi Arabia 699 076 636 445 699 076 Source: Abouammoh 2009, p8 Read More