The government's awareness of the key role of
quality manpower in the social and economic development
of the Kingdom has prompted it to give bountiful
support to the education sector.
The Saudi government
provides general education for both boys and girls,
through the Ministry of Education, the General
Presidency of Girls Education and other specialized
agencies.
General education in the Kingdom consists
of six years of primary school and three years
each of intermediate and high school.
The government
provides free general and higher education (post
secondary), and financial help for male and female
students in some areas of general education.
University
students receive financial help and free housing.
In addition, meals, books, and transportation
are provided at subsidized prices. Female students
are provided with free transportation.
To meet the manpower needs of the Kingdom in
the long term and the increasing demand for higher
education, sixteen universities and colleges have
been established, offering subjects from engineering,
medicine, and geology to social and Islamic studies.
During the period 1989-1993 the number of elementary
schools increased from 8,370 to more than 10,000;
the number of intermediate schools from 2,884
to more than 4000; the number of secondary schools
from 1,103 to more than 1,700, and the number
of teacher training colleges from 40 to 43. However,
the sixth development plan targets for female
and male graduates in general education and graduates
at bachelor degree level by university are presented
in tables 6 and 7 respectively.
Education Statistics:
The number of students at all levels of education
rose from 600,000 in 1969 - 1970 (1389 - 1390
H) to some 4 million in 1996.
The average annual
increase during this period was 7.1% for male
students and 13% for female students.
The number
of schools and colleges run by the Ministry of
Education (responsible for boys education) and
the General Presidency for Girls' Education increased
from 3,283 in 1969 - 1970 (1389 - 1390 H) to 22,000
in 1994 - 1995 (1414 - 1415 H).
Schools for boys
rose from 2,654 in 1969 - 1970 (1389- 1390 H)
to 10,419 in 1992 - 1993 (1412 - 1413 H), an annual
increase of 6%. Schools for girls grew from 453
in 1969 - 1970 (1389 - 1390 H) to 10,558 in 1994
- 1995 (1414 - 1415 H), an annual increase of
13.8%. he number of graduates of higher education,
male and female, increased from 808 in 1969 -
1970 (1389 - 1390 H) to 5,124 in 1979 - 1980 (1399
- 1400 H) and to 12,812 in 1984 - 1985 (1404 -
1405 H) . In 1994 - 1995 (1414 - 1415 H) the number
of male and female university graduates reached
23,074.
Elementary School:
Length of program in years: 6
Age level from: 6 to: 12
Certificate/diploma awarded: Elementary Education
Certificate
Intermediate School:
Length of program in years: 3
Age level from: 12 to: 15
Certificate/diploma awarded: Intermediate School
Certificate
General Secondary School:
Length of program in years: 3
Age level from: 15 to: 18
Certificate/diploma awarded: Tawjihiyah
Technical:Junior College
Length of program in years: 3
Age level from: 15 to: 18
Certificate/diploma awarded: Secondary Vocational
School Diploma, Secondary Commercial School Diploma,
Secondary Agricultural School Diploma
For a comprehensive list of schools in SAUDI ARABIA
Secondary school education
lasts for three years following upon three years
of intermediate education. Pupils can choose between
general secondary and technical schools. In the
first year of general secondary school, pupils
share a common curriculum. At the end of this
year, they are divided into the scientific and
literary tracks for the final two years. Students
obtaining a score of 60% in all the first year
subjects may choose between the literary and scientific
track. Students obtaining a score less than 60%
must opt for the literary track. The course culminates
in the Tawjihiyah. Technical education includes
vocational, commercial and agricultural schools.
An Intermediate School Certificate is required
for admission. Courses lead to the Secondary Vocational
School Diploma, the Secondary Commercial School
Diploma and the Secondary Agricultural School
Diploma.
Higher education is provided by universities,
an Institute of Public Administration and teachers'
colleges. The Higher Education Council makes proposals
relative to the overall policy of higher education
and supervises the application of the state policy
in scientific research. The Prime Minister is
the president of the Council. The Ministry of
Higher Education supervises the execution of the
Kingdom's policy in the field of higher education.
It supervises the universities. Each university
has a university council.
Saudi Arabia's Universities are supervised by the Ministry of Higher Education, and regulated by The Council of Higher Education.
The Special Education Group at
the Directorate of Primary Education is responsible
for identifying the handicapped students and the
supervision of students with special needs in
public schools as well as special institutions
abroad.
Some government schools have remedial classes
for slow learners and low achievers according
to the school's needs for these classes. The Ministry
also adopts in a group of schools the project
of integrating students with special needs into
ordinary classes together with their normal peers
with the aim of avoiding their separation from
the environmental life, i.e., the ordinary schools
and classes.
The Special Education Group takes also the responsibility
of discovering other cases such as mentally retardation,
deaf, speech defect, and blind in government schools
and transferring them to the specialized institutions
and centers supported by the Ministry.