Revolutionizing education sector
EVEN amid the obstacles we are confronting — such as declining oil income, which makes it harder to fund new and ambitious educational programs — there must be some change to improves society. Without rushing and focusing, other development projects will not be able to achieve the desired aims.
Fortunately, all voices arguing against change have been defeated, as they tried and failed to manage educational facilities, so there are not many people who doubt the slogan that developing education is the solution.
In countries such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Morocco, which are densely populated, education is progressing slowly and is not keeping up with youths’ social progress, skills and abilities. As I have long followed up on the problems of education in Saudi Arabia, I can detect increasing differences between students, teachers and the curriculum amid the domination of modern technology in people’s lives. There is backward education, yet there is a generation of youths capable of absorbing modern education.
Saudi Vision 2030 includes an attempt to improve education and its government institutions by expanding the scope of private education. This includes introducing global educational institutions and giving them a chance to participate. This is a good strategy to resolve the source of the problem. Rushing to develop education should be the priority, and competition between educational institutions must be encouraged so society races against time.
Perhaps this is possible by introducing modern technology, emulating successful experiences, focusing on positive change of curricula and educational tools, improving teachers’ competency via intensive courses, linking education and the market, and emphasizing the use of tools to measure success and failure in order to address the latter and resolve it early.
The renaissance plan first requires good quality and guided education. This is a must, despite obstacles related to decreased incomes and the pressures of new reforms. Can universities add majors that teach specific sciences for more specialized jobs so students’ skills improve, as King Fahd University of Petroleum did in the 1980s?
Can a huge university such as Princess Nora University shift to teaching medical services and technology so its female graduates find jobs in a sector where the percentage of citizens is low?
The number of those who objected to reform from within educational institutions has decreased. They used to consider educational reform a form of westernization. These were naive and scared perspectives that were unaware that change and development are normal in life.
However, they now see that what they have done has caused high unemployment. Fortunately, society itself is moving forward. There are 50 million people who, through their smart phones, get an education outside classrooms.
This clearly shows the difference between the era of the old guardians of education, and the era of their sons and daughters today. The aim is to urge everyone to support rushing changes in education by developing and modernizing it. There is nothing to lose except bad education.