Education System In Saudi Arabia
History & Development Of Education In Saudi Arabia:
Until the late nineteenth century, education in all parts of what is now Saudi Arabia was traditional restricted to reading, writing and recitation of the Holy book Quran. There were only the higher educations in religious studies in the big cities. The modern education started in late nineteenth century in that times Ottoman Province of Hijaz and Al-Ahsa. In 1920 few private schools began offering non-religious subjects in some of the big cities. But the state- sponsored modern education was started after 1930. There were only four private elementary schools in the entire country. In 1925, the Directorate of Education was established. It was followed later by the Basic Instructions that laid the foundation for a centralized national system. Secondary school system network was spread in 1951. In 1954 the Ministry of education was established and Prince Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz became the first minister. In 1957, the first university was opened by the government which was not wholly religious. Under the establishment of Prince Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz more schools were opened and public education started to expand throughout the country. The expansion in education was so rapid that the Ministry of Education found it necessary to create "School Districts" in different parts of the country to assist the Ministry by distributing some of its responsibilities.
In 1958, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia along with other members of the Arab League agreed upon a uniform educational system that provided for a 6 year elementary, 3 year intermediate and 3 year secondary cycle with a separate higher education program. National development plans stressed a basic philosophy for the successful modernization of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This philosophy is based on following two major principles
1) Developing needed human resources through education and training.
2) Building a comprehensive economic infrastructure.
Due to their
Until the late nineteenth century, education in all parts of what is now Saudi Arabia was traditional restricted to reading, writing and recitation of the Holy book Quran. There were only the higher educations in religious studies in the big cities. The modern education started in late nineteenth century in that times Ottoman Province of Hijaz and Al-Ahsa. In 1920 few private schools began offering non-religious subjects in some of the big cities. But the state- sponsored modern education was started after 1930. There were only four private elementary schools in the entire country. In 1925, the Directorate of Education was established. It was followed later by the Basic Instructions that laid the foundation for a centralized national system. Secondary school system network was spread in 1951. In 1954 the Ministry of education was established and Prince Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz became the first minister. In 1957, the first university was opened by the government which was not wholly religious. Under the establishment of Prince Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz more schools were opened and public education started to expand throughout the country. The expansion in education was so rapid that the Ministry of Education found it necessary to create "School Districts" in different parts of the country to assist the Ministry by distributing some of its responsibilities.
In 1958, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia along with other members of the Arab League agreed upon a uniform educational system that provided for a 6 year elementary, 3 year intermediate and 3 year secondary cycle with a separate higher education program. National development plans stressed a basic philosophy for the successful modernization of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This philosophy is based on following two major principles
1) Developing needed human resources through education and training.
2) Building a comprehensive economic infrastructure.
Due to their
References: Ministry of Higher Education, 2010. Higher Education. [Online] Available at: [Accessed at 3 July 2012] Chronicle, 2010 Wikipedia, 2012. Education in Saudi Arabia. [Online] Available at: [Accessed at 3 July 2012] Ain-Al-Yaqeen, 1997 Global Study Uk, 2012. Education in Saudi Arabia.[Online] Available at: [Accessed at 3 July 2012] Gulf News, 2012 Sacm, 2010. Education. [Online] Available at: [Accessed at 3 July 2012] Ameinfo, 2009 Saudi Embassy, 2012. Education. [Online] Available at: [Accessed at 3 July 2012] Edarabia, 2012 Delwin A. Roy, 1992. Saudi Arabian Education. [Online] Available at: [Accessed at 3 July 2012] AlMonitor, 2012 Dawn News, 2012. Saudi Arabia cuts spending in 2012 budget. [Online] Available at: [Accessed at 4 July 2012] Appendix: