Education in Saudi Arabia

Education in Saudi Arabia

The U.S. Department of State estimates the literacy rate in Saudi Arabia for males to be 84.7 percent and 77.8 percent for females. Saudi Arabia's nationwide public education system includes few public universities and more than 20,000 schools.

When Saudi Arabia formally became a nation in 1932, education was largely limited to instruction for a select few in Islamic Madrassas. Today, public education—from primary education through high school—is open and free to every citizen. Parents are not, however, required to send their children to school, and statistics from 1996 estimated that about 61 percent of children attended school.

Education in Saudi Arabia has never fully separated from its Islamic roots. All curricula must conform to the Islamic Sharia laws and the Qur'an, and traditional gender roles continue to shape educational opportunities available to females. The education of females has increased dramatically in recent years, from 25 percent of all students in 1970 to 47.5 percent in 2001. However, education is largely segregated by gender. There are six Universities which have both male and female sections out of the nation’s eight universities. Certain subjects are not available for women yet. Whereas men are allowed to travel to foreign countries to pursue education, women are encouraged to do so but generally must be accompanied by a spouse or male relative.

Government spending on education continues to grow in Saudi Arabia. In 2004 the government increased education spending by 28 percent over the previous year. Additionally, special emphasis is being placed on technical training in order to fill the labor gap that has long been met with foreign expertise.

The Last census showed that 50% of Saudi male students go to college after high school and that 60% of female students go to college after high school.

See also

* List of universities in Saudi Arabia
* Najd National Schools

External links

* [http://www.najdschools.edu.sa Najd National Schools]

References

loc [http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+sa0048)]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Outline of Saudi Arabia — …   Wikipedia

  • Saudi Arabia — a kingdom in N and central Arabia, including Hejaz, Nejd, and dependencies. 20,087,965; ab. 600,000 sq. mi. (1,554,000 sq. km). Cap.: Riyadh. Cf. Mecca. * * * Saudi Arabia Introduction Saudi Arabia Background: In 1902 Abd al Aziz Ibn SAUD… …   Universalium

  • Saudi Arabia — Infobox Country conventional long name = Kingdom of Saudi Arabia native name = ar. المملكة العربية السعودية al Mamlaka al ʻArabiyya as Suʻūdiyya common name = Saudi Arabia national motto = There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of… …   Wikipedia

  • Saudi Arabia — <p></p> <p></p> Introduction ::Saudi Arabia <p></p> Background: <p></p> Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam and home to Islam s two holiest shrines in Mecca and Medina. The king s official title …   The World Factbook

  • Economy of Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia has an oil based economy with strong government controls over major economic activities. Saudi Arabia possesses 25% of the world s proven petroleum reserves, ranks as the largest exporter of petroleum, and plays a leading role in… …   Wikipedia

  • Portal:Saudi Arabia — Wikipedia portals: Culture Geography Health History Mathematics Natural sciences People Philosophy Religion Society Technology …   Wikipedia

  • List of Saudi Arabia-related articles — Articles (arranged alphabetically) related to Saudi Arabia include: NOTOC 0 9 A *Al Ahsa B * Bahrain * Basic Law of Saudi Arabia C * Communications in Saudi Arabia * Culture of Saudi Arabia D * Demographics of Saudi Arabia * Dhahran * Dhahran… …   Wikipedia

  • Abdullah of Saudi Arabia — Not to be confused with Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud. King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud عبد الله بن عبد العزيز آل سعود Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King of Saudi Arabia Reign August 1, 2005 …   Wikipedia

  • Healthcare in Saudi Arabia — The healthcare system in Saudi Arabia can be classified as a national health care system in which the government provides health care services through a number of government agencies. In the meantime, there is a growing role and increased… …   Wikipedia

  • Fahd of Saudi Arabia — King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, (1921 August 1, 2005) was the King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Head of the House of Saud as well as Prime Minister. One of thirty six sons of Saudi founder Ibn Saud, and the …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”