Education & Training
From The Report: Saudi Arabia 2018
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Given pride of place in both the Kingdom’s long-term development plans and in its annual budget, education in Saudi Arabia is currently undergoing a major expansion – both in terms of quantity and quality. A range of new projects were launched over 2017 and will continue into 2018, from university construction to curriculum development. Indeed, the centrality of education and training to the country’s ability to achieve other developmental objectives is now widely recognised by planners, policymakers and investors alike, with important consequences for the sector as a whole.

This chapter contains an interview with Ahmed Aleissa, Minister of Education.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Forward thinking: Modernising the education system is central to long-term development goals
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Given pride of place in both the Kingdom’s long-term development plans and in its annual budget, education in Saudi Arabia is currently undergoing a major expansion – both in terms of quantity and quality. A range of new projects were launched over 2017 and will continue into 2018, from university construction to curriculum development. Indeed, the centrality of education and training to the country’s ability to achieve other developmental objectives is now widely recognised by planners,…

Interview

Cultivating minds: Ahmed Aleissa, Minister of Education, on modernising the sector through private sector partnerships and digitisation
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Interview: Ahmed Aleissa How is the government engaging with strategic partners to build and operate schools? AHMED ALEISSA: The Ministry of Education (MoE) is working with the private sector to provide modern facilities, which enhance the efficiency of education and learning. These measures will improve the maintenance of schools and help establish higher-quality educational buildings, facilitate access for smaller firms to build schools at affordable costs, use economical sources of financing…

Analysis

Skills for work: The focus is beginning to shift towards aligning the education system with the needs of business
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A key part of the debate in Saudi Arabia’s education system is focused on the need to match sector outcomes with the requirements of the labour market. Indeed, the Kingdom’s long-term development plan, Vision 2030, explicitly references this issue. Such a view will require close cooperation between educational institutions and the private sector across the board. Technical Growth Traditionally, the link between education and the world of work has been more directly supplied by the technical…

Analysis

A digital future: New emphasis being placed on digital education
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One of the main objectives for the Ministry of Education (MoE) in the National Transformation Programme (NTP), the kingdom’s development plan to 2020, is the continuation of a “shift to digital education in support of both teachers and students”. This ambition builds on major investment in recent years aimed at bringing the electronic classroom to life, whether in primary school or teacher-training college. The plan aims to equip all participants in the system with the skills necessary…