Need for Educational Reform Stressed
Samir Al-Saadi, Arab News

SAKAKA, 29 November 2006 — A debate on the prominence of religious education and materials in the Kingdom’s schools was the focus of yesterday’s kick-off of Saudi Arabia’s Sixth National Dialogue, a regular forum that began in 2003 aimed at bringing together Saudis from all walks of life to discuss their respective visions for the present and future of the country.

Some of the participants calling for a reform to the Kingdom’s education system argued that religious teaching, even in science classes, is playing a hegemonic role, marginalizing the core curriculums required to learn and succeed.

Others defended the prominence of religious teaching in public schools, saying that outsiders are trying to change Saudis. But both sides agreed that the current system requires some reform in order to address the needs of the Kingdom in terms of skilled workers.

The National Dialogues, started by then Crown Prince Abdullah in 2003, have addressed issues critical to reform in Saudi Arabia. They have discussed issues such as women’s role in the workplace and Saudi attitudes toward ‘the other’, that is, those who are not typical Sunni Muslim Saudis. As the government has become more comfortable with the format, the different sessions have become more open to the public, with the Fifth Dialogue being carried in part on national TV.

This session is about reforming education, a need nearly all Saudis—religious conservatives or not—agree is critical. But where to draw the line between mandatory religious education and other subject matter is an issue of vigorous debate. The school day and the school year have only a finite number of hours. Many Saudis complain that there’s simply too much religious education at the expense of other, critical subject matter. Others argue that religious content is reduced at the expense of souls.

There should be much more reporting about this National Dialogue over the coming days. I’ll be posting on it.