Comments on: KAUST Opens

By: Susie of Arabia

Susie of Arabia — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 17:22:11 +0000

I’m just excited that you were able to attend this historical event! An awfully long day for you, but I’m sure very memorable.

By: Sandy

Sandy — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 23:11:20 +0000

I will add, in fairness, I do know a coupld people that seem to have had reasonable experiences with their children in government schools, in spite of the awful curriculem.

By: Sandy

Sandy — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 23:03:26 +0000

Texas. I am glad you have had positive experiences with the Saudi eduacational system but you are a minority. If your children are literate enough in Arabic to draft a business letter or a personal letter-to conduct research or write a short story you are lucky indeed.

I do not get my info from media. I am married to a Saudi. I live in Saudi Arabia. I am a member of an extended Saudi family. My children spent 8 years in Saudi schools. I taught English in Saudi schools. I have spoken to MANY Saudi Mothers and some Saudi fathers. I stand by what I said.

By: Texas

Texas — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 22:37:08 +0000

John & Sandy – I disagree with you. I think you got your information from the media either audio or visual media. Not everything mentioned in the media is right, did you try to listen to other source, did you try to experience the life of Saudis to get the full picture about their thinking about the education and other things after that you can judge. John – you are journalist and everyone is reading what you are writing either right or wrong, your job is not easy job, you are carrying a big responsibility not only for your community for all the world. I would like to remind you that, the media depends on the actions to attract the people and sucks their money. I will give a closed example happened to me lately, I got a short job in States and decided to take my family with me, my wife and kids refused to go with me to USA, you know why they said we do not want to go to a country that hates Muslims and only they know the killing, I tried to convince my kids to force their mom, you know what my 14 years daughter said, she said I saw in the news and movies, Americans kills, rape etc. this is the impact of the media when they are not showing the good things about the others. Later, I was able to convince them just to gave it try for some months if they see what they believed on I will send them back to home, we agreed!!.
From the first day they arrived to USA, I decided to engage them with Americans in the parks, shopping malls, I gave them tour to see the schools etc. I forgot to tell you … I let my wife to stay with her ABAIA and covering her face exactly like in Saudi Arabia, what do you think!!! I want her to know the reality of Americans, I want her to know what has been mentioned in the media about the culture and USA is wrong. Later, they agreed to stay with me, my daughters admitted in the schools after they studied English as ESL, my wife learnt the driving got her Driver’s license, by the way she was driving her car with her black ABAIA with covering her face !!!. I am telling you this story to show you how the media could give a bad image about others, especially if they did not get the information from the right source. In the end, I would like to inform you that from my experience the government schools system is much better and stronger than the private schools system. Government schools or teachers are not looking for profits, the private schools and teachers are looking for profits and do not want to lose students (Business) even if they give them direct help during the examinations, I am a father and I run through this experience. It is my pleasure to host you and let you experience the life in Saudi Arabia away from the politics.

By: Sandy

Sandy — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 11:36:01 +0000

Texas- you are right. Things were much better in the time frame you describe. My husband and many of my friends went through the Saudi system at the tine you describe. Unfortunately, things have really changed- and have gone way downhill.

By: John Burgess

John Burgess — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 08:37:01 +0000

The problem is that most Saudis are not happy with the Saudi state school system. They complain that when they go to the dentist, they want a dentist, not an ‘Islamic dentist’; when they want a plumber, they want someone to fix the problem,, not offer discourses on Islamic theology!

The Saudi school systems have failed to produce, in sufficient numbers, graduates qualified to take jobs. That’s not a foreign perspective, it’s a Saudi perspective.

I noted that there are exceptions. Some students do very well in the system, either through natural gifts or with the encouragement of their parents. Some are blessed with good teachers. Some students do very well with rote memorization, but most do not.

Reading Saudi papers, in English or Arabic, you constantly find complaints about the system,, about the poor caliber of teachers, about texts that spend a disproportionate amount of time on Islam… these are complaints from Saudis, not foreigners or expats.

Even Western nations with official religions do not teach religion in state schools, though sectarian schools, which do teach religion, may receive government support. I’m the product of parochial schools in the US. Religion was a topic taught twice a week, for an hour at a time, not a constant element belabored in all courses.

Alas, the Vatican isn’t a good example: there are only graduate courses in theology taught in the state. The children of employees of the Vatican go to Italian schools through university. Only clerics study within the Vatican itself.

By: John Burgess

John Burgess — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 08:28:38 +0000

Oh yes, we were fed, too! I was a few hundred yards from the head table, so I can’t say what was being presented there, but the rest of the dining room had the same menu. Cleverly, KAUST had pairs of students joining in at tables that were less than full. That gave everyone an additional perspective on the university.

By: Texas

Texas — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 03:28:26 +0000

I do not know whay most of the comments are shooting the education system in Saudi Arabia. I am not saying it is excellent or bad system, but it is like the others. I graduated from Saudi government school in mid of 80s and I continued my education in United States which I consider it as my second home; and because I was not a native speaker I studied the English language. When I finished it, I admitted to the University and I was one of the best students in Math, Physics and Chemistry, even I was much better than my Americans colleagues who studied the science in English. I worked in States for couple of years. The reason was the type of education I had in my Saudi government school. Yes, I agree with there is more concentration on the religious studies and this is because it is an Islamic country and 99% of population are Muslims, I think this is a normal thing for the country its principle is Islamic culture. For example, if you live in Vatican country you will have the Christianity studies are the demonist studies in the schools. We have to be reasonable in this matter.

By: Krista

Krista — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 21:05:30 +0000

I can’t comment on the education discussion since all I know are the Aramco schools my husband attended. But I must say it seems like quite a treat (in spite of the crazy long day) to have attended this opening ceremony! Did you get to eat at the banquet as well or were you still up in your glassed in area?

By: Sandy

Sandy — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 20:48:06 +0000

Private schools have only in the last couple of years been able to branch away from the same government curriculum as the public schools- though the environments, equipment and sometimes the teachers are of a better quality- the learning has been mostly the same. I would say in Jeddah the girls private schools have been much better at bringing a higher quality of education. The boys schools have lagged behind. I do hope now- as some of these private schools have been given permission to branch into other curriculem it will pay off- but only if they can get the right caliber of teacher to implement it. My children spent a couple years in an elite private school with alternate curriculem and it seemed to make little difference, because the teachers were not able to teach it.