Saudi Arabia’s education system has undergone a significant restructuring in recent years, driven by the launch of Vision 2030, the Kingdom’s blueprint for socio-economic transformation. The government has introduced a wide range of reforms aimed at closing the skills gap and spurring economic diversification rooted in a knowledge-based economy. Private education enrolment levels are expected to increase following policy changes aimed at encouraging more international schools to open branches in the country. Furthermore, enrolment in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is also expected to rise as the Ministry of Education (MoE) invests in the development of more technical institutions and courses.
Structure & Oversight
The education system in Saudi Arabia is largely centralised, although schools have been awarded greater authority over the curriculum and staff hiring in recent years. The Kingdom’s oversight bodies are the MoE and the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC). The MoE manages the distribution of funds from the national budget across the sector. It oversees public schools through departments of education, directorates and education offices in the 13 administrative regions. It also develops education policies, the national curriculum and textbooks, and defines standards for teacher recruitment. International schools are permitted to teach a foreign curriculum provided that it has a focus on the Arabic language, Islamic civilisation and Saudi Arabian history and geography. Many international schools are co-educational and popular among the large expatriate population. In contrast, public schools are single-sex, except for kindergartens and nursery schools.
Recent decentralisation efforts, seen as vital for a high-performing school system, included granting 8% of public schools fiscal and administrative autonomy in 2018 to reduce bureaucracy and foster innovation. Tertiary institutions have also gained greater independence. In 2009 the government established the Kingdom’s first fully autonomous tertiary institution, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), which topped the 2023 Times Higher Education Arab University Rankings. Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, the world’s largest women’s university, also ranked high in the 2024 Times Higher Education Arab University Rankings and the 2024 Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities.
The launch of Vision 2030 in 2016 has helped shape education policy. The plan outlines several overarching aims for the education sector and labour market, with a focus on building an education system that aligns with market needs. The government aims to close the skills gap between higher education and the job market by granting schools more autonomy; developing a new curriculum with strict standards for literacy, numeracy, skills and character development; improving teacher training; expanding vocational training opportunities; and encouraging greater parent participation in education. It also aims to improve the calibre of local schools and universities and establish Saudi Arabia as a global leader in research, development and innovation. Saudi Arabia has the largest education budget in the Gulf, spending $50bn, or 17% of its GDP, on education in 2023. This marks a slight decrease from 2020, when 19.9% of GDP was earmarked for the sector.
Sector Breakdown
Saudi Arabia’s school system has grown to include over 35,000 schools, and has seen significant progress on key metrics over the last two decades, with female adult literacy rates rising from 69% in 2000 to 96% in 2020, and male adult literacy rates increasing from 87% in 2002 to 90% in 2022. This is due to improved access and enhanced educational standards. Additionally, the number of out-of-school children has fallen from 269,797 girls and 313,621 boys in 2009 to 34,898 girls and 40,075 boys in 2022.
Education at public schools is free for all Saudi children. The Kingdom’s education system consists of six years of elementary education, three years of intermediate education and three years of secondary education. Education is compulsory through the intermediate level. Early childhood education is not mandatory, with just 22% of three- to five-year-olds attending early childhood schools in 2017. Lessons are taught in Arabic, except at some private and international schools, and much of the curriculum at all levels is devoted to religious subjects. With population growth standing at an average of 2.5% per year, the demand for primary and secondary education is expected to reach 7.2m students in 2030, up from 6m in 2022.
While the education system has seen significant development in recent decades, the realisation of the Kingdom’s economic diversification targets relies on the comprehensive transformation of the education system to upskill young nationals to create a knowledge-based economy. For decades, the Kingdom relied heavily on oil revenue and was able to employ most of the Saudi population in the public sector. However, in response to macroeconomic volatility, the government has emphasised the need for a more diversified revenue streams and improved employment opportunities for Saudis in the private sector – which has, until recently, been dominated by expatriate workers.
Unemployment rates remain a key challenge for the country. According to data from the World Bank, youth unemployment stood at 13.7% in 2023, emphasising the importance of equipping university graduates with skills that meet the demands of the private sector. In a bid to close the skills gap, the government is pursuing far-reaching educational reforms, such as the development of a modernised school curriculum that emphasises critical thinking, the re-training of teachers and the construction of new school infrastructure, as well as the decentralisation of educational institutions. Furthermore, since the early 1990s the government has been pursuing a policy of Saudiisation, requiring that Saudi nationals fill a stipulated minimum proportion of jobs in a given sector to reduce dependence on overseas workers in key professions and encourage local knowledge transfer and skills development.
Saudi Arabia scores below the OECD average in mathematics, reading and science, so there is significant potential for growth and improvement in these areas. While the Kingdom’s results for the Programme for International Student Assessment improved between 2018 and 2022 in mathematics, they declined in reading and remained the same in science. However, the assessment did highlight that parent participation in student education improved over the same period.
Public Sector Education
Vision 2030 highlights the objectives of eradicating illiteracy and promoting equitable access to high-quality education for all youths in Saudi Arabia, irrespective of their gender, socioeconomic status or geographical circumstances. This has driven policy changes to enhance access at all levels across the Kingdom. Around 85% of students enrolled in the education system attend public institutions, and 79% of the Kingdom’s 35,400 schools are public. Public schools instruct students in a wide range of subjects, including Arabic, Islamic studies, mathematics, science, geography, history, physical and health education, and art. Subjects such as English, social studies and ICT are introduced in higher grades.
Private Sector Education
The private education segment in Saudi Arabia is one of the smallest in the GCC, with 15% of students attending a private school in 2023. This figure is even lower at the primary level, at around 9% of students. Private schools have greater autonomy than their public counterparts, managing their own internal organisational structure. However, the MoE still oversees private education and institutions are expected to align with the national curriculum. In August 2023 the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development implemented new Saudiisation requirements for private primary, middle and secondary school teachers. Schools teaching the national curriculum are expected to employ at least 50% Saudi teachers, although this does not apply to international schools that teach alternative curricula.
The small size of the Kingdom’s private education segment, coupled with several key policy reforms, emphasises its sizeable potential for expansion. The segment is expected to grow substantially in the decade to 2034. The lifting of foreign ownership restrictions in 2017 has enabled international schools to open branches in Saudi Arabia, and many global and regional brands are expected to enter the market over the coming years. Additionally, the number of Saudi students enrolled in international schools has also grown in recent years, in line with government aims to enhance education access and close the skills gap.
Most international schools teach the British or US curriculum, as well as the International Baccalaureate programme. In 2019 the country hosted some 262 English-language schools at the intermediate level, with 330,000 students enrolled. There are also international institutions from countries including France, Germany, India, Japan, Pakistan and the Philippines. As the Kingdom’s average per capita income has risen to over $25,000 a year, the affordability of private school education is expected to increase. As of November 2024 the average private school tuition fee in second-tier cities was less than $10,000. In Riyadh, fees ranged between $10,000 and $30,000 a year. In addition to increased enrolment of Saudi students, the number of white-collar expatriate workers is expected to rise, boosting the demand for international school places.
Teachers & Training
The government aims to increase the number of highly trained teachers to enhance learning outcomes. The academic qualifications required to teach in Saudi Arabia vary depending on the level of education. At both the primary level and in intermediate schools for girls, teachers must hold a two-year teaching diploma. In contrast, secondary school teachers must attain a bachelor’s degree in education or a higher diploma programme following the completion of a bachelor’s degree in another discipline. However, the government is strengthening teaching standards and aims for all teachers to have at least a bachelor’s degree in order to teach.
The MoE also aims to provide enhanced training throughout teachers’ careers. In recent years Saudi Arabia has experienced a shortage of highly skilled teachers, particularly in rural areas. The rollout of a social fund for the education department in October 2023 bolstered the National Institute for Educational Professional Development, providing funding for specialised courses for educators.
The student-teacher ratio has declined as the population has grown, from 11 students per teacher in 2008 to 14 in 2018, which is around the OECD average. The government aims to increase the number of teachers in line with population growth. In 2023 the MoE announced the creation of 11,551 teaching positions, with more roles available in mathematics, chemistry, physics, English language, computer sciences and management. Applicants were directed to apply through Jaddarah, the unified national employment platform.
Universities & Higher Education
The tertiary education sector has grown rapidly to include 60 universities, hundreds of community colleges, women’s colleges and several TVET institutions. The majority of Saudi students in tertiary education are enrolled at the undergraduate level, with only 3% of students attending a graduate programme in 2018. Around 70% of the Kingdom’s universities were public as of 2022, and some 95% of students in higher education attended public universities. However, the government has encouraged higher enrolment in private institutions to increase capacity, lower public costs and create a more diversified education system. This push resulted in the percentage of enrolment at private universities increasing by 64% between 2009 and 2018. As of November 2024 there were 18 private universities in Saudi Arabia, seven of which were located in Riyadh.
The MoE oversees tertiary education, determining curricula, admissions criteria, admission quotas and faculty appointments. Oversight has long been centralised, although the government aims to provide universities with greater autonomy in line with Vision 2030. The Education and Training Evaluation Commission is the autonomous body tasked with accrediting higher education institutions and study programmes.
The traditional language of instruction is Arabic, but an increasing number of tertiary institutions are offering courses in English, such as medicine, engineering and science. KAUST, for example, uses English for all its courses and requires applicants to pass an English proficiency exam. This reflects the multicultural environment at the university, which enrols high numbers of students and researchers from other countries.
The gender gap at the tertiary level has decreased significantly in recent years as more women enrol in higher education. In 2018 around 66% of Saudi university graduates in natural sciences, mathematics and statistics were female. However, more men than women go on to study in graduate programmes. In addition, unemployment rates for female graduates are higher. In 2022 some 30.4% of the female population was employed in the workforce – making up 36% of the labour market – with an unemployment rate of 15.4%.
Skills Gap
Tertiary education is undergoing a transformation following the introduction of a law allowing foreign universities to open branch campuses in the Kingdom, attracting greater interest from global and regional educational institutions. This policy change is expected to contribute to a more diversified higher education landscape in line with Vision 2030 goals. Tertiary institutions across the Kingdom have introduced several initiatives aimed at closing the skills gap, including the launch of a range of new courses that align with labour market needs. Likewise aligned with Vision 2030, Social Development Bank is expected to support the creation of over 70,000 small enterprises by 2030, which reinforces MoE aims to develop a more entrepreneurial graduate pool.
The government has invested heavily in research and the establishment of more specialised universities. For example, in February 2024 the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC) announced the launch of the first school of public policy in Saudi Arabia, offering two-year master’s degrees and several other programmes. KAPSARC aims to equip students with the skills needed to become leaders in the public, non-profit and private sectors.
International Students
A high number of Saudi students study at foreign institutions, with around 5% of tertiary-level students studying abroad in 2017. This trend was supported by the launch of the multi-billion-dollar King Abdullah Scholarship Programme, which helped 200,000 students study abroad between 2005 and 2015. Recipients of the scholarship are encouraged to study subjects in key economic sectors – such as engineering, medicine or computer science – and are required to return home after graduating to participate in the domestic workforce. Saudi students accounted for 6% of all international students enrolled in US universities in 2024, making the Kingdom the fourth-biggest sender of international students to the country.
Saudi universities also attract many foreign students. The number of international students enrolled in Saudi tertiary institutions increased from 18,725 to 74,000 between 2008 and 2017. However, non-citizens who study in Saudi Arabia are classed as international students, including the children of expatriate workers. In March 2024 the government launched its Study in Saudi Arabia platform to facilitate the enrolment of international students in the Kingdom’s universities. The government also announced an educational visa programme to attract foreign students and academics to Saudi universities and research centres.
Professional & Vocational Training
The TVET segment has gained traction as the MoE looks to enhance skills development across key economic sectors in line with Vision 2030 aims. The TVTC, which comprises government and private industry representatives, oversees TVET institutions, including technical colleges and dozens of secondary vocational schools. It designs the national TVET curriculum and develops training standards. A range of TVET courses are available in Saudi Arabia, delivered in vocational secondary schools and at the tertiary level through diploma and bachelor’s degree programmes. Other vocational offerings include shorter certificate programmes, on-the-job apprenticeships and self-study options. The MoE is expanding TVET offerings by establishing new technical colleges, developing formal national vocational qualifications and encouraging greater private-sector participation. To this end, the Colleges of Excellence programme allows global institutions to set up Saudi branches via a public-private partnership model.
As of the second quarter of 2023 some 247,000 students were enrolled in technical colleges, and approximately 17,200 in secondary industrial institutes and architecture and construction institutes, according to the TVTC. There were also 54,000 trainees in university and diploma programmes at private sector training centres and 1000 students enrolled in vocational industrial institutes in prison. The segment is expected to continue expanding as both public funding and private-sector participation increases.
Edtech
The digital transformation of the education sector is an important element of the success of the aims set out in Vision 2030. The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the rollout of digital learning platforms following the closure of schools across Saudi Arabia, and many schools and universities have used online learning platforms to educate students remotely. The National e-Learning Centre, established in 2018, provides institutions with a range of digital educational resources. The MoE has supported the development of the Future Gate initiative, implemented by Tatweer Educational Technology, to deploy smart classrooms and digital education management systems. The launch of the National Framework for Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Digital Learning in December 2023 emphasises the government’s commitment to using advanced technologies in education. Saudi universities are expected to play a crucial role in the implementation of the strategy.
In October 2023 the Saudi Data and AI Authority announced the development of a new AI training scheme. The programme is expected to provide digital training courses in AI and coding for 300,000 middle and high school students, chosen from 3m students across the country. The widespread use of digital education tools supports growth prospects for the segment. Online education market revenue within Saudi Arabia is expected to reach $257m in 2024 and expand at a compound annual growth rate of 6.6% to reach $353m by 2029. Meanwhile, the Kingdom’s online learning platform market is expected to reach a value of $148.9m during 2024.
Outlook
Saudi Arabia’s education sector is undergoing a major transformation in line with the objectives outlined in Vision 2030. The government has invested considerably in the hiring of highly trained teachers, the establishment of schools and universities, and the modernisation of its curricula and educational facilities. Greater participation from the private sector is expected to contribute to a more diverse education sector at all levels, as well as help equip students with the skills to match labour market needs.
Read More from OBG
