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Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Ministry of Higher Education

Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission

Washington, DC

EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

IN SAUDI ARABIA2006

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Educational System in Saudi Arabia

Education has been one of the first and mostprominent benefits accompanying the developmentof the modern State of Saudi Arabia. In 1925, theDirectorate of Education was established. It was fol-lowed a year later by the Basic Instructions that laidthe foundation for a centralized national system ofgovernment.

A new era in the development of modern educa-tion began in 1953 with the establishment of theMinistry of Education on December 24, 1953, as partof the Council of Ministers. The late King Fahd IbnAbdulaziz, who was appointed the first Minister ofEducation, guided the Ministrys unprecedentedexpansion and modernization of educational

resources. With its establishment, more schools wereopened, and public education started to expandthroughout the country. The expansion in educationwas so rapid that the Ministry of Education found itnecessary to create "school districts" in different partsof the country to assist the Ministry by distributingsome of its responsibilities.

In 1958, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia along withother members of the Arab League agreed upon a uni-form educational system that provided for a 6-yearelementary, a 3-year intermediate and a 3-year sec-ondary cycle with a separate higher education pro-gram.

National development plans stressed a basic phi-losophy for the successful modernization of theKingdom of Saudi Arabia. This philosophy was based

on two major principles: 1) developing needed humanresources through education and training, and 2)building a comprehensive economic infrastructure.Due to their importance to the National DevelopmentPlans, human resources development along with infra-

structure, economic resources and social resources,including education, were given high priority.

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The following flow chart of the educational ladder

in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia provides a quickreference of the organization of the education system.

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THE EDUCATIONAL LADDER

The educational system in the Kingdom of SaudiArabia consists of the following levels:

1 Pre-Elementary Level

The pre-elementary level prepares boys and girlsfor elementary education. The Children are taught atthis level for the duration of two years. Children areenrolled at the age of four years old in the nurseryschool and at the age of five in the preliminary school.

2 Elementary LevelElementary level schooling is compulsory in Saudi

Arabia and is also regarded as the foundation for thedevelopment of an overall educational program.

Children are enrolled at the age of six and spend a

total of six years at the elementary level. The schoolyear consists of two semesters, each with at least 15weeks of classes and a two-week examination periodGrades 1-4 are exempted from these examinationsand are instead regularly evaluated by their teachers .The daily elementary school schedule has six 45-

minute classes. The standard curriculum is studied byboys and girls in separate schools.

3 Intermediate LevelUpon finishing the elementary level, students

between the ages of twelve and fourteen are encour-

aged to continue their education at the intermediatelevel (the equivalent of grades 7-9 in the U.S. educa-tion system).

The school year at this level consists of two 15-week semesters and a two-week examination period.

There are thirty-three class periods per week, each ofwhich is forty-five minutes in length.

At this level, English becomes a required subjectand remains compulsory throughout secondaryschool. Passing a completion examination is necessary

to receive the Intermediate School Certificate, whichis a prerequisite for entering secondary school.

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4 Secondary Level

4-1 Regular Secondary Education

Secondary school education spans three years andgenerally serves students in the fifteen to nineteenyear-old age group. All students in the regular second-ary schools study a general curriculum for the first

year and choose for the remaining two years one ofthe following majors:

Administration & Social Science

Natural Science

Shariah & Arabic Studies

Students who maintain high grade-point averagesin mathematics and physical science at the 10th gradelevel are encouraged to enroll in the natural scienceprogram.

The school year consists of two semesters, each ofwhich is twenty weeks long, including a two-weekexamination period. Class periods are forty-five min-utes long, and weekly schedules vary between a totalof twenty-six and thirty-three periods, depending on

grade and subject emphasis. To earn a SecondarySchool Certificate students must complete therequired credits and pass their individual subjectexaminations with a grade of no less than fifty percentof the maximum score.

4-2 Vocational and Technical Secondary EducationNational development policy makes a compelling

case for the importance of technical education andvocational training in Saudi Arabia. The technical andvocational skills of the Saudi work force is a critical

factor in increasing productivity and staying apacewith the rapid technological developments sweepingthe international business world. The programs inindustrial, commercial, agricultural and vocationaltraining described here play an essential role inpreparing more highly skilled Saudi workers.

Technical education is divided into three types:

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Industrial.

Commercial. Agricultural.

These institutes have three year programs for inter-mediate school graduates.

King Saud University

5- Higher Education Level

The post secondary system of education in SaudiArabia is, to a certain degree, similar to the educa-tional system of the United States. The patterns andprocedures of these educational systems have beenadopted in accordance with Islamic systems, tradi-tions and customs.

In 1975 a segment of the Ministry of Educationbecame a separate entity, and was renamed theMinistry of Higher Education, with the purpose ofdealing exclusively with higher education. Among its

responsibilities were:

Proposing the establishment of higher educationalinstitutions and authorizing them to offer specialprograms in accordance with the countrys needs.

Creating and administering universities and collegesin the Kingdom.

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Raising the level of communication and coordina-

tion between institutions of higher learning andcoordinating with other governmental ministriesand agencies in terms of their interests and needsin higher education.

Representing the government abroad in all educa-tional and cultural affairs, through various culturaland educational offices distributed over 32 countries.

The Higher Education Council is the supremeauthority for post-secondary education affairs with the

specific task of supervising and coordinating its insti-tutions, with the sole exception of military education.Some of the Councils responsibilities are: directinguniversity education in accordance with policy, super-vising the development of university education in allsectors, coordinating among universities especially inthe field of scientific departments and degrees,encouraging research, formulating rules and regula-tions for compliance by all institutions of higher learning.

Higher education in Saudi Arabia has undergone atremendous growth over the last five decades. Thehigher education system, which is based on diversifi-cation has expanded to include:

11 major universities (109 colleges & 9 institutes)

18 primary teacher's colleges for men

102 primary teacher's colleges for women 40 colleges and institutes for health

24 technical colleges

9 private universities and colleges

The universities and colleges offer graduate studiesprograms which grant masters and doctoral degrees insome fields. Like other elements of the educationalsystem in the Kingdom, higher education is designedand evaluated in relation to the overall national devel-opment plan, and is considered essential for fulfilling

the potential of the Kingdoms greatest resource- itspeople.

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SPECIAL EDUCATION

In 1960 the Ministry of Education started a specialeducation program and opened the first governmen-tally supported training institute for blind male stu-dents, the Al-Noor Institute in Riyadh. In 1964, the

first school for blind girls was founded. In the sameyear the first school for the hearing impaired, the AmalInstitute in Riyadh, was opened to provide education,training and care for deaf children. By that time,resources for blind students had expanded to five insti-

tutes. The first specialized institute for children withmental disabilities, Al-Tarbiyah Al Fikriyah Institute forboys and girls in Riyadh, was opened in 1971.

There has been a steady expansion of resources fordisabled students as new institutions are founded indifferent geographic locations according to the needs

of each province. Schools for the handicapped haveincreased from one school in 1960 to 27 schools in1987, and most recently to 54. Presently there are 10schools for the blind, 28 schools for the deaf and 16schools for the mentally challenged.

King Abdulaziz University Exhibition Hall

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ADULT AND EVENING EDUCATION

The Ministry of Education and the educationalauthorities give considerable attention to adult educa-tion. An ambitious plan was launched to eradicateilliteracy in twenty years through four stages:

1. The Initial Stage:The goal was to eradicate 20% of the illiteratepopulation in the first five years.

2. The Expansion Stage:

The goal was to eradicate an additional 25% ofthe illiterate population, in the second five yearsand another 30% in the third five years.

3. The Third Stage:The goal was to eradicate 24% more of the illit-

erate population in the following three years.4. The Final Stage:

The goal is to eradicate illiteracy among theremaining 1% of the illiterate population in thelast year.

Adult educational programs were establishedthroughout the Kingdom to help combat illiteracy.These programs were developed and are supervisedby the General Secretariat for Adult Education. Over90% of adult education classes are coordinated by the

Ministry of Education, and utilize public school facil-ities and teachers. National education policy requiresall private schools to offer their share of adult educa-tion classes in order to qualify for government assis-tance.

The basic program teaches reading, writing andarithmetic up to the fourth grade. Students who com-plete the requirements of this program receive aLiteracy Certificate. There is a standardized curricu-lum that is used in all adult education classes, and thetextbooks for this introductory level have been spe-

cially designed for adult students.

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Adult education does not end with combating illit-

eracy. Adult education also provides for the continu-ing education at higher levels. Evening schools aremade available throughout the country to enable maleadults, and those who work during the day, to pursuetheir education and sit for the general examinations

held by the Ministry of Education. These students maycontinue their university study or use the certificatesthey obtain to improve their standard of living.

GIRLS EDUCATIONThe Kingdom has been at the forefront of many

countries in providing equal education at all levels toboth males and females. As a result of these efforts, theKingdom has provided a distinguished level of educa-tion for women that guaranteed the continuation oftheir education. Recent statistics (which are presentedin the following table) indicate close equality in thenumber of students according to gender enrolled inthe three stages of education.

Number of Students in all levels of Education

2004

Level

ElementaryEducation

IntermediateEducation

SecondaryEducation

HigherEducation

Total

Male

1,242,959

614,211

453,038

236,996

2547204

Female

1,084,293

548,483

463,526

334,817

2,431,119

Total

2,327,252

1,162,694

916,564

571,813

4,978,323

% of female

46.6

47.2

50.6

58.55

48.8

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According to these official statistics, one can see

how the education of girls in the Kingdom has outdistanced, in many aspects, the education of boys..The recent decision to place the education of girlsunder the Ministry of Education has increased theimportance of the educational system in the Kingdom,

and has led to the unification of policies, proceduresand regulations, without changing the special natureof girlseducation.

Institutions of higher education can be foundthroughout the Kingdom, especially in large cities andgovernorates. Female graduates, of course, are alsoserved by these institutions.

As a matter of fact, the number of female studentsin higher education has exceeded 58%. Althoughmost of these female students specialize in educationand human sciences, many are enrolled in medicine,

pharmacy, medical sciences, economics, accounting,administrative sciences and computers. Additionally,female students specialize in agriculture and the basicsciences.

The announcement of the establishment of a

womens university in Riyadh was the first steptowards opening other womens universities indifferent parts of the country.

King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals

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TEACHER TRAINING

Teacher training programs have developed as anintegral part of the educational system in SaudiArabia. Over the last five decades the standards forteacher training have been rising steadily, paralleling

the general development of the educational system inthe Kingdom. The new minimum requirement forteaching in all education levels is a 4-year bachelorsdegree.

The schools of education at Saudi universities and

colleges provide a broad curriculum in education the-ory and methods, and also have separate departmentsfor mathematics, physics, biology, English and Arabiclanguage and Islamic studies. Every student is requiredto major in all specialty within one of these depart-ments and must combine courses in education withcourses providing in-depth knowledge of a particularsubject.

CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

The curricula used throughout the educational sys-tem in Saudi Arabia undergo a constant process ofchange and improvement in response to social andeconomic developments in the Kingdom as well asinternational developments in technology. Nationalcommittees established by the Ministry of Education

are devoted to curriculum development and reviewand advise the Educational Development Departmentof the Ministry. These committees study the subjectsbeing taught in schools at different levels and specialissues such as adult education, measurement and test-

ing, special education, audio-visual aids, and studentguidance and counseling.

There have been many innovations in curriculumdevelopment in the last several years such as thedevelopment of new texts for primary and secondaryeducation. Schools have been equipped with variety

of audio-visual media, including television monitors,computers, slide and overhead projectors, and school

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broadcasting facilities that have been integrated into

the teaching of mathematics, science and geography.Language laboratories have been built for the study ofEnglish and other foreign languages. School librarieshave been converted into comprehensive educationalresource centers stocked with books, reference works,

newspapers, maps, posters and films.Textbooks are updated periodically to reflect devel-opments in different subjects. Textbook materials infields such as mathematics, science and social studies,however, are reevaluated even more regularly.

Similar textbooks are used by male and female

students who also follow the same academic curricu-la. It is compulsory that private schools use the sametextbooks and curricula employed in the publicschool. The government provides textbooks to privateschools free of charge. Supplementary textbooks are

sometimes used by private schools for the extra sub-jects that are not available in the public schools suchas English or French as a foreign language.

Over the last three decades, Saudi NationalDevelopment Plans have provided for a massive pro-gram to improve the physical facilities of the educa-

tional system. This has included the construction andfurnishing of new schools and the upgrading of exist-ing schools. Most schools in Saudi Arabia are now fur-nished with science laboratories and appropriateequipment and supplies. Audio-visual media are fully

integrated into the curriculum and schools are provid-ed with a full complement of equipment. Schools,from the elementary level through the secondarylevel, can produce their own media materials, such aseducational videos that can be broadcast through anin-house closed-circuit television system. Some

schools also have photographic equipment and photoprocessing laboratories.

The government provides all schools with comput-ers. They are introduced to students beginning at theelementary level. Software in Arabic is abundant and

specific programs are used in the teaching of Islamicstudies, reading, mathematics, Arabic language andsocial studies.

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Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission to the U.S.A

2600 Virginia Ave., N.W., Suite 800

Washington, D.C. 20037Tel: (202) 337-9450 Fax: (202) 337-2978

Website: www.sacm.org