Education System In Saudi Arabia

Education System In Saudi Arabia

     A.   Background

Education is a very important aspect of life. Through education, the quality of a country can be known. Education was able to show whether or not a country forward. Not infrequently education serve as benchmarks in the progress of a country. Therefore, each country vying to advance the field of education to promote the country, including in Saudi Arabia.

The country's official name is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which was established on 23 September 1932 with a capital of Riyadh. This kingdom was led first by King Abdul Aziz bin Abdurrahman al-Sa'ud, in other words the name is derived from the name of the Saudi royal family of Abdul Aziz bin Abdurrahman al-Sa'ud.

Saudi Arabia occupies 80 percent of the area of the Arabian Peninsula. Geographically the country is bordered by Jordan, Kuwait, and Iraq to the north, the Red Sea in the west, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on the east, as well as Yemen and Oman to the south. Saudi Arabia is a country that adheres to Islamic law based on which the laws of sharia as the basis of the constitution and the legal system. The discovery of oil fields and increased oil consumption in the early 1970s to encourage industrial development and urbanization is so rapid. Currently, 70% of the population inhabiting large cities and the backbone of the economy remains dependent on the oil industry, while Saudi Arabia many using foreign workers as human resource needs are so great. [1]

     B.    Purpose of Education

Besides the working world, the appeal of the other Saudi Arabia is the world of education. Saudi Arabia is the purpose of education:

1.    to provide at least basic education for all citizens

2.    to prepare students with the skills necessary for economic development that is constantly changing .

3.    for memdidik children in the beliefs, practices and cultural values ​​of Islam.

     C.    type of Education

In general, the education system is divided into three main sections:

1.    Public education for men

2.    General education for women

3.    Islamic education for men

For general education, both men and women receive the same curriculum and the same annual exam anyway. Public education is divided into four sections:

1.    Basic education consists of elementary school (6-12 years).

2.    Secondary education (12-15 years).

3.    Secondary education (15-18 years).

4.    Higher Education (University or College).

Traditional Islamic education for men focused to form a prospective board member of the clergy. The curriculum for the traditional Islamic schools are also part using the general education curriculum, but the focus on Islamic studies and Arabic. For religious education, carried out under the supervision of Imam Saud Islamic University (Riyadh) and the Islamic University of Madinah (Medina). However, in the public universities of Islamic religious instruction is a compulsory subject any student majoring taken.

In 1985, the total budget for education reached US $ 2.5 billion, equivalent to 3.6% of the total national budget of Saudi Arabia. Every local and foreign students at public universities received scholarships every month from the education ministry of SAR 800 to SAR 1000.

Education System in Saudi Arabia consists of  primary education, secondary education and higher education  that will be elaborated further as follows:

1.     Basic Education (Primary Education) , consisting of:

   I.        Primary school

Duration: 6 years (age 6-12 years)

Mandatory subjects: Arabic language, art, geography, history, home economics (women only), mathematics, physical education (especially male), Islamic studies, and science.

 II.        Secondary school

Duration: 3 years (age 12-15 years)

Mandatory subjects: Arabic, art, English, geography, history, home economics (women only), mathematics, physical education (especially male), Islamic studies, and science.

2.    Further Education (Secondary Education) , consisting of:

  I.        General Further Education

Duration: 3 years (age 15-18 years).

Mandatory subjects: during the first year received the same general subject, the last 2 years divided into science and social (literacy). Students who have a grade of 60% or more may select both, while about 60% had to choose social.

General subjects: Arabic language, biology, chemistry, English, geography, history, home economics (women only), mathematics, physical education (especially male), and religious education.

 II.        Further Education Religion

Duration: 3 years (age 15-18 years).

Arabic language and literature, English language, a common culture, geography, history and religious education.

III.        Advanced Engineering Education

There are three types of advanced education techniques, namely technical, commercial, and agricultural. 

Duration: 3 years (age 15-18 years).

Curriculum:

-   Technical : architectural drawings, automotive, electrical, engine mechanics, metal mechanics, radio and television. With extra lessons in Arabic, chemistry, English, mathematics, physical education, physics, and religious education.

-   Commercial:  Arabic, accounting and bookkeeping, commercial correspondence, economics, English, mathematics economics, general math, geography, management and secretariat, and religious education.

-   Agricultural:  agricultural economy, agronomy, animal breeding, applied biology, applied chemistry, applied mathematics, applied physics, Arabic, English, agriculture and land management, horticulture, religious education, marketing, and nutritional food. [2]

3.    higher education

Higher education or university in Saudi Arabia are divided into two main parts namely Religious Education and General Education. However, now it is very much a university that combines the two. Type college in Saudi Arabia is a university, college for women (college for women), public administration institute (institute of public administration) and teacher training institutes (teacher training college). All universities are under the supervision of the Ministry of Higher Education (Ministry of Higher Education) unless the Islamic University of Medina (Islamic University of Medinah), the best university in Saudi Arabia for Islamic religious education, which is under the supervision of the Council of Ministers (Council of Ministers). To enter college in Saudi Arabia, prospective students must meet the college entrance test (General Secondary Education Certificate Examination) or Tawjihi.

1.    Higher Education Universities

For higher education universities, the same level as the university in general, namely: Tier 1 (Bachelor), Tier 2 (Master), and Stratum 3 (Doctor). For S1, the time required is 4 years (at least), but for technical, medical, and pharmaceutical needs at least 5 years to complete. For S2 (Master) takes at least 2 years to complete with the condition that they must have completed S1.

There are two paths to S2, the thesis (by thesis) or college (by course). If we take the path of the thesis, then after completing the courses that have been determined, we must complete a thesis for about one year (two semesters), while for the path to college, we just need menyelesaikas all courses that have been determined, but with the number of courses more.

For S3, the length of time required is three years after completing S2. for S3, we must complete the course and collect dissertation is the result of independent research that has been done. Moreover, additional requirements are sometimes required, such as: at least publish a journal on international or international conferences.

In addition, there are some special university for the women who mostly focus on science education. Study is available for a women's university is starting from S1 to S3.

Major universities in Saudi Arabia in between King Saud University, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, King Abdul Aziz University, King Faisal University, and a new university, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).

2.    Non University Higher Education

a.    Technical College

Higher education is equivalent to diploma to be completed during three years. The fields are available: automatic control, auto electrical systems, automotive, electrical equipment, electrical installations, chemical industry, electronics industry, and production techniques.

b.    Higher Technical Institute

Education is like D1 that can be completed in 1 year.

c.     Higher Technical Institutes for Financial and Commercial Science

Higher education is specific to the financial and commercial science. The curriculum provided are: accounting, commercial and business correspondence, English language, insurance, Islamic culture, marketing and advertising, purchasing and inventory, and secretariat. Long education that must be taken is for 2 years.

d.    The Institute of Public Administration

Older studies for this type of higher education is for 2 to 3 years. The fields available are: banking (2 years), electronic data processing (2.5 years), the hospital administration (2 years), library science (3 years), science personnel (2 years), science secretariat (2 years), and science warehousing (2 years).

e.    Teacher Training College

For teacher education is divided into three departments: elementary and secondary school teachers first (primary school), high school teacher (secondary school), and teachers' continuing education (higher education). [3]

     D.   Curriculum and Teaching Methods

The education system in Saudi Arabia is basically taking the existing curriculum in other Arab countries, especially Egypt, with more emphasis on religious subjects. The curriculum for the schools of men and women at every level of the same in practice at the school unless women add to their subject area of ​​household management, while men add to the school physical education lessons, which are not taught at a girls' school.

Private schools required by law to follow the same curriculum as the public schools. But may add to the pelajran popular as English and computers.

Regarding the teaching methods may not be uniform and will vary between subjects. Teachers of religious subjects emphasize rote, and rarely use teaching tools in addition to the board. Arabic teacher uses a blackboard besides using rote methods of text. Teachers use the exact science laboratory equipment that was available at the school. But almost all school laboratories completely incomplete, either deficiencies in the equipment, or the professional staff, or both. Language laboratory is available only to schools that belong to the elite of English language teaching.

Arabic is the language of instruction from primary, secondary to upper secondary level. In college, Arabic became the language of instruction in the arts, humanities and social sciences. English is the language of instruction in the fields of engineering, medicine and natural sciences.

     E.    Exams, increase in class, and Certification

In grade 1 to 12, the academic year is divided into two semesters. The study materials for one year divided by 2 bagian.pada end of the semester, held exams that include lesson material a semester. Student test scores are added to the second half and generate value for that year. If the value is lower than a certain percentage, usually 50%, the student fails in his subjects and must take the exam again in the summer. Had pupil concerned fails again obtain a minimum grade, he was forced to repeat the same grade, take back all subjects, including those that are already getting good value. Successfully passing the test, the criteria for the ride of a higher grade.

The college also takes place in the semester system, but at some universities use semester credit units (SKS), and thus students who fail in one subject does not have to repeat the whole year tau semesters, or repeating all courses taken years or half of it. Repeated only subjects that have not passed the course, with a note that the course is a compulsory subject.

      F.    Evaluation and Research Education

There were improvements in the quality of educational research of Saudi Arabia in the years 1980s. However, this improvement occurred in research conducted by professors or doctoral students in the faculties of education. Research centers at the Ministry of Education and GAGE ​​lack of staff and lack of funding so that the study produced remains inadequate, both in terms of quality, quantity and in the skopnya.

While the quality of research conducted in the framework of the completion of education-title, is generally accepted by international standards, but is still considered to be weak in terms of focus. There is no map of the research and there is no priority. Educational institutions that there rarely is financing the research, not even once proposed research titles. As a result, almost all educational research less relevant to education activities Saudi Arabia.