Higher Education in Saudi Arabia: Challenges, Solutions, and Opportunities Missed
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Higher Education in Saudi Arabia: Challenges, Solutions, and Opportunities Missed Mohammad A. Alkhazim College of Applied Medical Sciences, Kings Faisal University, P.O. Box 40269, Alkhobar 31952 Dammam, Saudi Arabia. E-mail: [email protected]
Higher education faces common worldwide challenges imposed by social and economic factors. Yet, each system has its own challenges and demands that need to be looked at within its own context. Higher education in Saudi Arabia faces three challenges: limitation of places, depletion of resources, and quality measures. Some measures have been initiated to relieve pressure on Saudi higher education, including establishing private colleges, new postsecondary diploma programs, and setting up a higher education fund. Real organizational and financial restructuring is the neglected part among these processes. This article describes the Saudi higher education system from a critical perspective. It presents an overview of the system’s evolution, the challenges and demands it faces, reaction to those challenges, and suggestions for further development. Higher Education Policy (2003) 16, 479–486. doi:10.1057/palgrave.hep.8300035 Keywords: Saudi Arabia; education; university; private higher education
Higher education worldwide faces several challenges: social, economical, demographical, and technological. Among the common demands are restrictions on student places, accountability, and resource depletion (Albach and Peterson, 1999). In response, higher education has changed profoundly in recent decades to meet both national and international demands. While Saudi Arabia’s higher education system is no exception, it has not yet been studied within its own social, economical and political context. This article presents an overview background of Saudi Arabia, traces the evolution of its higher education system, highlights the challenges and demands imposed on higher education in Saudi Arabia, evaluates how the system reacts to such challenges and demands, and suggests steps to improve the system.
The Country To
understand higher education in Saudi Arabia, one has first to examine its political, economical, and social environment. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded in 1932. The government is a monarchy, with the King being Head of State as well as Prime Minister. The Crown Prince, who acts as deputy of the King, and ministers are appointed directly by the King. Rather than a
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parliament, there is a consultative council (Majlis Al-Shura) composed of 120 members appointed by the King, the primary function of whose is to advise the King on important local issues. Saudi law is derived from Islamic law (Shariah). The country is composed of 13 local provinces, but with centralized government, planning, and financial systems. The main income resource is oil, which represents more than 90% of national income. Saudi Arabia has the largest oil reserve in the world (26% of the world oil reserve) (Saudi Arabian Embassy, 2001). The popu
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