A “Saudi writer” reveals the challenges facing the new Minister of Education, including obligating some universities for students to memorize parts of the Qur’an

Al-Marsad newspaper: The writer, Aqel Al-Aql, revealed the challenges facing the new Minister of Education, most notably focusing on education outcomes and the disciplines required in the labor market.

The issue of government employment is over

He said during an article published in the newspaper “Okaz” entitled “Challenges for the new Minister of Education.” The Ministry of Education remains one of the most important ministries in the country for the citizen and the decision maker. Government programs in most sectors will not be implemented, and education outputs do not correspond to the labor market, and the creation of a real productive culture. National cadres graduating from Saudi universities aspire to compete with foreign labor in the local labor market. Government employment has ended, or at least decreased in importance in many sectors.

Minister from outside the educational sector

He continued, “The new minister, Youssef Al-Bunyan, wishes him success in this position, and he is a minister who comes from outside the educational and academic sector, compared to most of the previous ministers of education. The next one will have a long and successful career in the giant SABIC company, which is comparable in success and expansion to Saudi Aramco.

Successful and modern management

And he added, Al-Bunyan, as mentioned in his biography, worked in administrative sectors in the company and led SABIC offices in the United States of America and in the East of the world, education may be in dire need of successful and modern management and managed with the mentality of international companies such as Aramco and SABIC companies, which operate in a modern competitive spirit. The human being has the magic wand. The new minister talks regarding justice and transparency in one of his television interviews.

The teacher is the main pillar

And he continued, I believe that the teacher in the educational process is the main pillar in this equation. Their rights must be arranged and clear and away from the language of threats and intimidation in dealing with them, and this does not prevent continuous monitoring and evaluation of their performance in terms of their performance in the classroom or in terms of ideas outside the curriculum. which they implement.

Education Outcomes

He said, I think that the Kingdom, under its leadership, and especially with the vision of His Highness the Crown Prince, has given qualitative education the most attention, and kept the extremist elements away from public education and Saudi universities. The new Minister of Education should focus on the educational outcomes that he sought from the Saudi graduate when he was in his position in the sector and private companies According to some published statistics to expedite graduates from public and private universities to obtain distinguished jobs in the private or government sector.

Cancellation of teaching in some majors

He added, “It is necessary to know the curricula, the academic atmosphere, and the professors, and build on them in universities whose graduates have difficulty in employment. Is it because of the disciplines, for example, that are not required in the labor market, and then a decision is issued to cancel the teaching of some disciplines that are far from the actual need outside the walls of universities, such as religious disciplines that can be taught.” In a way that preserves it as a cultural identity for the country, and there are universities that need to sift through some of their curricula, especially the obligatory memorization of parts of the Holy Qur’an for students of disciplines that have nothing to do with religious and legal disciplines. In the end, these graduates join figures in the unemployment rates that the state is working to reduce as one of the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

foreign universities

He continued, I hope the new minister will take care of the issue of foreign universities in the Kingdom, as we see most Western universities, American, British and French, have branches in the neighboring Gulf countries, and many of their students are from our country, and I do not know what are the reasons for starting this important file.

Three semester system

He went on to say, the school buildings remain a file in front of each minister, and most of them repeat that there will be no rented school buildings and they go out, and the situation has not changed much. The three scholastics have confused the entire community without knowing the real reasons behind him that he was there.

education system

And he concluded, some believe that a minister of education from this background is mainly to work on privatizing education, and this is what I do not wish for. This sector in all countries of the world is free, compulsory and far from material matters, and the Kingdom, thanks to God and its wise leadership, has given the education system its attention and moral and financial support, and the education budget occupies A strong rank among ministries, specialization in some academic programs in universities may be postgraduate programs and diplomas, while public education is the responsibility of the state, may God protect it.