Saudi Arabia

Partners situated in Saudi Arabia

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Saudi Arabia in a nutshell

Saudi Arabia, in full the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA (Arabic: المملكة العربية السعودية‎, al-Mamlaka al-ʻArabiyya as-Suʻūdiyya), is an Arab country and the largest country of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Jordan on the northwest, Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south. The Persian Gulf lies to the northeast and the Red Sea to its west. It has an estimated population of 27.6 million, and its size is approximately 2,150,000 square km (830,000 square miles).

Source : http://www.cia.gov

The Kingdom is sometimes called "The Land of The Two Holy Mosques" in reference to Mecca and Medina, the two holiest places in Islam. In English, it is most commonly referred to as Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom was founded by Abdul-Aziz bin Saud, whose efforts began in 1902 when he captured the Al-Saud’s ancestral home of Riyadh, and culminated in 1932 with the proclamation, and recognition of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia is the world's leading petroleum exporter. Petroleum exports fuel the Saudi economy. Oil accounts for more than 90 percent of exports and nearly 75 percent of government revenues, facilitating the creation of a welfare state, which the government has found harder to fund during periods of low oil prices.

The kingdom occupies about 80 percent of the Arabian Peninsula. A significant length of the country's southern borders with the United Arab Emirates, and Oman, are not precisely defined or marked, so the exact size of the country remains unknown. The Saudi government's estimate is 2,217,949 km² (856,356 miles²). The kingdom is commonly listed as the world's 14th largest state.

Saudi Arabia's geography is varied. From the western coastal region (Tihamah), the land rises from sea level to a peninsula-long mountain range (Jabal al-Hejaz) beyond which lies the plateau of Nejd in the center. The southwestern 'Asir region has mountains as high as 3,000 m (9,840 ft) and is known for having the greenest and freshest climate in all of the country, one that attracts many Saudis to resorts such as Abha in the summer months. The east is primarily rocky or sandy lowland continuing to the shores of the Persian Gulf. The geographically hostile Rub' al Khali ("Empty Quarter") desert along the country's imprecisely defined southern borders contains almost no life.

Mostly uninhabited, much of the nation's landmass consists of desert and semi-arid regions, with a dwindling traditional Bedouin population. In these parts of the country, vegetation is limited to weeds, xerophytic herbs and shrubs. Less than two percent of the kingdom's total area is arable land. Population centers are mainly located along the eastern and western coasts and densely populated interior oases such as Hofuf and Buraydah. In some extended areas, primarily the Rub' al-Khali and the Arabian Desert, there is no population whatsoever, although the petroleum industry is constructing a few planned communities there. Saudi Arabia has no permanent year-round rivers or lakes; however, its coastline extends for 2640 km (1640 miles) and, on the Red Sea side, offers world-class coral reefs, including those in the Gulf of Aqaba.

Source : http://www.cia.gov

The central institution of the Saudi Arabian government is the Saudi monarchy. The Basic Law of Government adopted in 1992 declared that Saudi Arabia is a monarchy ruled by the sons and grandsons of the first king, Abd Al Aziz Al Saud. It also states that the Qur'an is the constitution of the country, which is governed on the basis of the Sharia (Islamic Law).

There are no recognized political parties or national elections, except the local elections which were held in the year 2005 when participation was reserved for male citizens only. The king's powers are theoretically limited within the bounds of Shari'a and other Saudi traditions. He also will wish to retain a consensus of the Saudi royal family, religious leaders (ulema), and other important elements in Saudi society. The leading members of the royal family choose the king from among themselves with the subsequent approval of the ulema.

Saudi kings have gradually developed a central government. Since 1953, the Council of Ministers, appointed by the king, has advised on the formulation of general policy and directed the activities of the growing bureaucracy. This council consists of a prime minister, the first prime minister and twenty ministers. Legislation is by resolution of the Council of Ministers, ratified by royal decree, and must be compatible with the Shari'a. A 150-member Consultative Assembly, appointed by the King, has limited legislative rights.

Justice is administered according to the Shari'a by a system of religious courts whose judges are appointed by the king on the recommendation of the Supreme Judicial Council, composed of twelve senior jurists. Independence of the judiciary is protected by law. The king acts as the highest court of appeal and has the power to pardon. Access to high officials (usually at a majlis; a public audience) and the right to petition them directly are well-established traditions.

Saudi Arabia is divided into 13 emirates[24] (manatiq, - singular mintaqah). The emirates are further divided into governorates. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emirates_of_Saudi_Arabia for the details.

Saudi Arabia education policy

The education system in Saudi Arabia, is primarily the responsibility of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Higher Education and the General Organization for Technical Education and Vocational Training. Other authorities such as the Ministry of Defense and Aviation; the Presidency of the National Guard; and the Ministry of the Interior provide their affiliates and children with kindergarten, elementary, intermediate, secondary and adult education as well, following the educational ladder, study plans and curricula formulated by the Ministry of Education. The highest authority that supervises education in Saudi Arabia is the Supreme Committee for Educational Policy, established in 1963. According to the World Bank database, public spending on education is 6.8 percent of GDP, and public spending on education as percentage of government expenditure is 27.6 percent in 2004. (World Development Indicator/Edstats) Education spending as a proportion of overall spending tripled from 1970 to 2000 and neither economic growth nor the price of oil had much impact on this trend in Saudi Arabia.

The Ministry of Education developed “The Ministry of Education Ten – Year Plan 1425–1435 (2004–2014)” which set the following goals for that ten year period:

1. The education of 4-6-year-old children and the consideration of kindergarten as an independent stage in terms of its buildings and syllabi from other education stage
2. Accommodation of all age categories from 6–18 years-old at various stages of education
3. Deepening the spirit of loyalty and proud of the country through intellectual awareness based on recognizing issues of the country
4. To prepare students academically, and culturally at a local and international level to be able to achieve advanced posts internationally in the fields of mathematics and sciences for the various age categories, taking into account International tests’ standards
5. To organize girls’ technical education
6. To develop the educational system for students with special needs
7. Development and growth of the Ministry’s personnel educational and administrative training
8. Improvement of internal and external sufficiency for the educational system
9. To develop syllabi based on Islamic values leading to the development of male and female students’ personality and to their integration in society as well as to the achievement of scientific and thinking skills and life characteristics resulting in self education and lifelong learning
10. To improve the quality of male and female teachers and to increase the citizens’ rate in the education sector to achieve the full use of Saudi human resources
11. To develop the educational structure and to update the school map to meet the expected quantitative and qualitative changes in the next stage
12. To develop the infrastructure of information and communication technology and its employment in education and learning
13. To develop male and female adults’ education and to eradicate illiteracy
14. The Ministry’s comprehensive administrative development
15. Expansion of social participation in education
16. To establish integrated systems for accountability

Saudi Arabia education system

The primary education system began in Saudi Arabia in the 1930s. By 1945, King Abdulaziz bin Abdelrahman Al-Saud, the country's founder, had initiated an extensive program to establish schools in the Kingdom. Six years later, in 1951, the country had 226 schools with 29,887 students. In 1954, the Ministry of Education was established, headed by then Prince Fahd bin Abdulaziz as the first Minister of Education. The first university, now known as King Saud University, was founded in Riyadh in 1957.

Today, Saudi Arabia's nationwide public educational system comprises 20 universities, more than 24,000 schools, and a large number of colleges and other educational and training institutions. The system provides students with free education, books and health services and is open to every Saudi. Over 25 percent of the annual State budget is for education including vocational training. The Kingdom has also worked on scholarship programs to send students overseas to the United States, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, Malaysia and other nations. Currently thousands of students are being sent to higher-educations programs every year.

The study of Islam remains at the core of the Saudi educational system.

The last census showed that 50% of Saudi male students go to college after high school and that 60% of female students go to college after high school.

Higher education

There are many many universities and colleges in Saudi Arabia - see for a list.

Universities in Saudi Arabia

List of better-known universities

(sourced from http://www.mapsofworld.com/saudi-arabia/education/universities.html)

Some of the renowned universities in Saudi Arabia are:

1. King Saud University
2. Al-Imam Mohamed Ibn Saud Islamic University
3. King Abdul Aziz University
4. King Faisal University
5. Umm Al-Qura University
6. Islamic University Medinah
7. King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals

King Saud University was set up in the year 1957 in Riyadh. It is the first university of Saudi Arabia. There are 19 colleges that function under this university. The number of students enrolled in this university is more than 32000.

King Abdul Aziz University is located in Jeddah city. There are more than 34,000 students in this university. The English Language Center, Energy Research Center, the Technological Studies Center and the Computer Center are all affiliated to this university.

Ummul Qura University in Makkah Al Mukarramah was set up in 1981. The Hajj Research Center is an important part of this university.

King Faisal University in Al Ahsa comprises 6 colleges along with a number of centers used for agriculture and veterinary training.

The Islamic University, Madinah is the second university in Saudi Arabia, set up 1961. There are five colleges affiliated to this university.

Polytechnics in Saudi Arabia

No analysis has been done yet.

Virtual initiatives in HE in Saudi Arabia

SAUDI ARABIA: E-learning education shake-up - 01 June 2008

(sourced from http://www.universityworldnews.com/publication/archives.php?mode=archive&p_id=UWorld&issueno=30&format=html)

"In a major transformation of traditional education, most universities in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia are expected to switch to a system of e-learning next year. The Saudi Ministry of Higher Education has established a National Centre of E-learning & Distance Learning, known as the ELC, to organise the change and prepare e-learning material. Nine universities have already agreed to implement the system.

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has called for a national plan to adopt information technology across the country. The plan recommends implementation of e-learning and distance learning, and their prospective applications in higher education.

The Higher Education Ministry has set up a repository for e-learning material to help universities adopt the system. E-books for engineering, medical, computer science and humanities courses will be available initially. Academics in the universities who have agreed to adopt e-learning are being offered training.

Director of the national centre, Dr. Abdullah Almegren, told Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic Daily last month that the new system would bring about dramatic progress in Saudi Arabian higher education.

"A team of experts from the ministry recently visited a number of international universities that have successfully adopted the e-learning system to know how it is working," Almegren was quoted as saying.

Experts from the ministry were in Australia last month and held talks with senior academics in universities with significant e-learning programmes, as well as with the Australian Universities Quality Agency.

Almegren told the Arabic Daily the ministry was investigating the prospect of reducing class attendance hours for university students after shifting to e-learning: "Once the system is implemented, students need not have 100% class attendance as they can keep in touch with faculty members through modern electronic communication facilities," he said.

The need to adopt a new system was essential as the traditional model would not be appropriate or adequate in preparing students for the complexities of a rapidly developing society.

"E-learning truly enables students to tailor their education under the guidance of teachers serving as mentors," Almegren said.

The newspaper reported the universities that have signed memoranda of understanding with the ministry to introduce the e-learning scheme include King Saud University, King Abdul Aziz University, Baha University, Taiba University, Qassim University and Madinah Islamic University.

Almegren said that under the agreements, his centre would provide technical and consultative support to universities to use e-learning, facilitate the transition to this type of education and set out the basic rules for its application."

Knowledge International University

Knowledge International University (KIU) was founded in 2007 in Saudi Arabia to improve access to higher education for nontraditional learners unable to enroll in conventional university programmes. Most courses are available in Arabic and focus on the study of Islam. Lectures comprise the bulk of learning materials for KIU courses, and are available both via live streaming and "prerecorded" for on-demand viewing. KIU has examination centres in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and Morocco.

The Knowledge International University web site is at http://www.kiu.com.sa/website/index.php

Arab Open University

There is a large branch of AOU in Saudi Arabia. Videoconferencing is widely used.

References

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