The role of international schools in preparing our students for the 21st century
International schools have qualified teachers both male and female in their Arabic Language Departments for example who are doing an exceptional job. But they need more resources for growth, training and development in the current educational pedagogies to enhance our overall programs. Investors, owners, and board members can play an important role in providing the necessary resources to enhance these training and development programs.
Another reality is the need for assistance in helping school administrators navigate the bureaucracy of governmental institutions in terms of things such as the allocation and processing of Visas for teachers. Many of our faculty members come from the international environment to include the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada and many other countries. Sometimes we experience delays in obtaining certain visas and this is a reality for which we must continually make adjustments.
Accountability, transparency and clarity in our school operations and our strategic plans is another critical juncture where reality and expectations meet on the same level. Through our accreditation process we work closely with the Ministry of Education as well as other outside monitoring agencies to insure that what we say we do we actually do. It is this combination of self-assessment and evaluations from international accrediting bodies that help us stay engaged with the Ministry of Education on matters of operational effectiveness that help us grow as a international school.
All of this is to say that from the Ministerial level to the international school administrative level we all have a role in shaping our youth here and now. The world today obviously has to prepare young citizens to develop a perspective beyond national boundaries, to understand the impact of individual citizenship behaviors upon the other parts of the world, and to enhance the awareness of the need to promote peace and justice across nations. To keep abreast with the rapid pace of globalization, there is now momentum within the international schools arena that focuses on developing an international perspective among the youth, increasing their awareness of global development, and urging them to assume their responsibilities as citizens of their local, national, and global communities.
Therefore, how to implement and strengthen the element of global citizenship education in the school curriculum has become an important educational issue. We are all gratified that the Ministry of Education is aware of these trends and has implemented programs such as the King Abdul- Aziz Public Education Development Project in order to build upon this model of Global Citizenship Education.
The world is undergoing unprecedented changes, and Saudi Arabia is no exception. We are seeing substantial changes in the economic structure and the knowledge-based economy is here to stay. At the most recent International Exhibition and Forum on Education (IEFE), in which Education Minister Prince Faisal bin Abdullah was in attendance, it was reiterated that the shift toward knowledge- based learning systems means that knowledge is viewed more as a tool than a repository of information with a greater emphasis on the development of attitudes and skills that enable learners to become more self-directed and in charge of their own knowledge development.
International schools are at the forefront of utilizing and indeed expanding upon this notion of a knowledge- based learning system. To cope with the challenges of the 21st century, education in Saudi Arabia must keep abreast of the global trends and students have to empower themselves to learn beyond the confines of the classroom. The school curriculum, apart from helping students to acquire the necessary knowledge, should also help the younger generation to develop a global outlook, to learn how to learn and to master lifelong skills that can be used outside schools.
As we embark on this unique journey together, we will succeed in challenging our students to become engaged citizens of the 21st century who possess the knowledge for critical thinking and the motivation for keeping their minds actively engaged in learning for the rest of their lives. This is truly an exciting time to be in education. With the energy, focus and commitment already demonstrated from all the international schools in Jeddah, we can continue to have a positive and lasting impact not only on the lives of our current generation but also on those generations that follow.
Dr. Mark A. English is the superintendent of the American International School of Jeddah