Even private universities are tightly regulated by the government, resulting in an inflexible bureaucratic system that allows little institutional autonomy. The oil and gas sector accounts for about 50 per cent of gross domestic product, and about 70 per cent of export earnings.”. However, now that restrictions on attending international schools have been lifted, there is a growing demand for international schools among Saudi students. These were higher than the OECD averages of 17% for short -cycle tertiary and 58% for bachelor ’s programmes . Universities commonly use variations of A to F letter grading scales or numerical 1 to 4 or 1 to 5 scales. You need to sign in or create an account to save. According to official NCAAA guidelines, research-oriented programs require “a minimum of 24 credit hours for course work plus a thesis,” while other programs can be completed with “39 credit hours for course work plus a significant project.” Graduation usually requires a minimum GPA of 3.0. Reduction since 1990 (%) 82. Annual inflation rate in Saudi Arabia increased to 5.7 percent in January of 2021 from 5.3 percent in the previous month, reflecting the impact of a hike in VAT rate in July 2020. Please note that the data for all countries is in the process of being updated. Final Examination Certificate issued in English (General Secondary Education Certificate, Secondary Commercial/Agricultural/Industrial Institute Diploma, and so on)—sent by a regional office of the Ministry of Education or the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC), Certificate or Diploma issued in English—submitted by the applicant, Academic Transcript issued in English—sent by the institution attended, For completed doctoral programs, a written statement confirming the conferral of the degree—sent by the awarding institution. Published online: 6 Jul 2006. Designed to prepare students for the rigors of academic study and to strengthen analytical skills, these programs typically convey foundation knowledge in general subjects relevant to the intended major, and almost always involve English language training. About 200,000 children total did not attend school in 2009, however. The education system is still gender-segregated with women being mostly educated at dedicated institutions—women’s colleges and women’s campuses—even in higher education. Of note, 66 percent of Saudi university graduates in natural sciences, mathematics, and statistics were women in 2018, although far fewer women than men enter graduate programs, and the employment rate among Saudi women is extremely low. That said, the government now seeks to decentralize the system, at least to some extent. Further advances in educational participation were made in the following decades, notably in the 21st century. Compared to the Q2 of 2020, labor force indicators showed a drop in the Saudi unemployment rate from 15.4 percent to 14.9 percent, and the Saudi male unemployment rate reached 7.9 percent, decreasing 0.2 pp. The overwhelming majority of Saudi students are enrolled in undergraduate programs. [1] Bukhari, Fawzy and Denman, Brian: Student Scholarships in Saudi Arabia: Implications and Opportunities for Overseas Engagement, in: Smith, Larry and Abouammoh, Abdulrahman (eds. Nevertheless, most young Saudi Arabians leave school without having mastered the basic competences needed for success in future academic and professional endeavours. Even so, the overall size of the TVET sector is still comparatively small, and the reforms appear to fall short of the official goal of increasing the number of students in the TVET sector to 250,000 by 2020. The Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development maintains intensive efforts to search for new sectors that provide job opportunities and reduce the unemployment rate. As the crisis enters its sixth year, the world must not forget the human realities at stake.Â. Foreign Per Diem Rates In U.S. Most international students in Saudi Arabia are from other Arab countries, such as war-torn Yemen and Syria (13 percent and 12 percent, respectively), as well as Egypt, Jordan, and Palestine. 7.7. Article. Inflation accelerated for both transport (9.6 percent vs 6.9 percent in December 2020) and communication (13.8 percent vs 11.4 percent), while clothing & footwear inflation was steady (at 6.1 percent). The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded in 1932 and occupies about four-fifths of the Arabian Peninsula. Campus of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Thuwal on the coast of the Red Sea. They are typically three years in length and require the Intermediate School Certificate for admission. Education is free at all levels. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the fourth largest state in the Arab world, with a reported population of 33,413,660 as of 2018. Although some Saudi students decided to continue their studies at their own expense, this conflict led to an instantaneous drop in enrollments in Canada, which at the time was the third most popular study destination among Saudi degree-seeking international students. Education Expenditures The curriculum includes Arabic, Islamic studies, mathematics, science, and art with other subjects like English, social studies, and computer knowledge introduced in higher grades. The MOE funds the public school system and oversees public schools through departments of education, directorates, and education offices in Saudi Arabia’s different regions. At age 6 though, they must enroll for 6 years at primary school. In 1970, the government launched a series of five-year development plans that had a transformative impact on Saudi Arabia’s public sector, including its education system. A crash in global crude oil prices and budget constraints forced the Saudi government to scale back the program in 2016, but KASP support nevertheless continues today, providing recipients with an unprecedented level of funding: Qualified students receive monthly stipends for living expenses, payment of tuition fees, and other study-related expenses, including annual round-trip airfare for students and their spouses. In 2018, the NCAAA was eventually incorporated into a new overarching institution, the Education and Training Evaluation Commission (ETEC), tasked with QA in all parts of Saudi Arabia’s education system. In 2018, fully 43 percent of Saudis had not completed upper-secondary education, compared with an average of 22 percent in OECD countries. In 2017, first -time entry rates into short - cycle tertiary education programmes were 20%, rising to 66% for bachelor’s programmes. When the Canadian government in August 2018 demanded that Saudi Arabia release a number of jailed human rights activists, the KSA halted trade with Canada, canceled Canada-bound flights and scholarships, and ordered Saudi students in Canada to return home. In contrast to the travel restrictions the Trump administration has imposed on several Muslim-majority countries with the justification of preventing “foreign terrorist entry into the United States,” the recent 2020 terror attack by a Saudi military trainee at a U.S. military base did not result in comparable measures nor a cooling of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Among the initiatives currently being pursued is the development of greater numbers of formal national vocational qualifications profiles (Saudi Skills Standards) and the promotion of public-private partnerships—a model in which the Saudi government supports foreign TVET providers to set up “Colleges of Excellence” in the KSA. Unsurprisingly, religion plays an important role in education in the ultra-conservative Islamic state of Saudi Arabia. However, there are also international schools catering to children from various other countries, including France, Germany, India, Japan, Pakistan, and the Philippines. Of note, Saudi Arabia is home to some of the world’s most renowned Islamic universities, including the Al-Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, which oversees several Islamic secondary schools in the KSA, as well as in other countries.