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History & Development Of Education In Saudi Arabia
History & Development Of Education In Saudi ArabiaUntil the late nineteenth century, education in all parts of what is now Saudi Arabia was traditional restricted to reading, writing and recitation of the Holy book Quran. There were only the higher educations in religious studies in the big cities. The modern education started in late nineteenth century in that times Ottoman Province of Hijaz and Al-Ahsa. In 1920 few private schools began offering non-religious subjects in some of the big cities. But the state- sponsored modern education was started after 1930. There were only four private elementary schools in the entire country. In 1925, the Directorate of Education was established. It was followed later by the Basic Instructions that laid the foundation for a centralized national system. Secondary school system network was spread in 1951. In 1954 the Ministry of education was established and Prince Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz became the first minister. In 1957, the first university was opened by the government which was not wholly religious. Under the establishment of Prince Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz more schools were opened and public education started to expand throughout the country. The expansion in education was so rapid that the Ministry of Education found it necessary to create “School Districts” in different parts of the country to assist the Ministry by distributing some of its responsibilities.
In 1958, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia along with other members of the Arab League agreed upon a uniform educational system that provided for a 6 year elementary, 3 year intermediate and 3 year secondary cycle with a separate higher education program. National development plans stressed a basic philosophy for the successful modernization of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This philosophy is based on following two major principles1) Developing needed human resources through education and training.2) Building a comprehensive economic infrastructure.
The education system in Saudi Arabia Education in Saudi Arabia is segregated by sex and divided into three separately administered systems: general education for boys, education for girls and traditional Islamic education (for boys). The Ministry of Education, established in 1952, presides over general education for boys, and education for girls comes under the jurisdiction of the General Presidency for Girls’ Education. Both sexes follow the same curriculum and take the same annual examinations. Islamic education trains Saudi boys to become members of the Ulema (religious clergy). The religious secondary school curriculum includes the general academic secondary school curriculum but focuses primarily on Islamic and Arabic studies. Religious secondary schools are administered by Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University and the Islamic University of Medinah. These schools, along with religious institutions of higher education, parallel the secular system. PRIMARY EDUCATION :I. Primary SchoolDuration: Six years (ages 6 to 12)Curriculum: Arabic, art education, geography, history, home economics (for girls), mathematics, physical education (for boys), Islamic studies and science II. Intermediate School:Duration: Three years (ages 12 to 15) General Curriculum: Arabic, art education, English, geography, history, home economics (for girls), mathematics, physical education (for boys), religious studies and science SECONDARY EDUCATION :I. General Secondary School:Duration: Three years (ages 15 to 18)Compulsory Subjects: During the first year, students share a common curriculum, and in the final two years are divided into scientific and literary streams. Students scoring 60 percent in all first-year subjects may choose between the two streams. Those who score under 60 percent must opt for the literary stream. General Curriculum: Arabic, biology, chemistry, English, geography, history, home economics (for girls), mathematics, physical.
Educational Systems in Saudi Arabia and United State “A human being is not attaining his full heights until he is educated” by Horace Mann. Education has been one of the most important things in all nations and it considersone of the main reasons of people and countries development. Self gratification, sensation of accomplishment as well as broadening people’s horizon and providing bright futures for them are some of the endless benefits of education. As there is a huge difference between Saudi Arabia and United States in geography, culture, and society, a lot of dissimilarities in their educational systems can stem as a result of the previously statedfactors.Understanding these differences will help improve the educational system in each country. The first distinctive difference between Saudi Arabia and United States educational systems can be found in the language and the fees of the courses. As English is the mother language in United States, the educational system utilizes English language in teaching; yet, in Saudi Arabia, both Arabic and English are used in teaching. Arabic is considered the mother language and English is the language used in business communication. The other point is that education is free in Saudi Arabia and every student in college or university receives monthly stipend from the government as a reward for being a college or university student. On other hand, American students must pay tuitions for their education. Also, they do not receive monthly stipend. However, the government provides student loans to help students in need get education. Saudi students must decide their major from the first year of study. Consequently, they do not have the right to choose elective classes as they are forced to take subjects related to their majors. Because Americans have the right to choose elective courses they want to study, they can major in the third or fourth year of study.The second difference between Saudi Arabia and.
United States vs. Saudi Arabia Educational SystemEducational Systems in Saudi Arabia and United State“A human being is not attaining his full heights until he is educated” by Horace Mann. Education has been one of the most important things in all nations and it considersone of the main reasons of people and countries development. Self gratification, sensation of accomplishment as well as broadening people’s horizon and providing bright futures for them are some of the endless benefits of education. As there is a huge difference between Saudi Arabia and United States in geography, culture, and society, a lot of dissimilarities in their educational systems can stem as a result of the previously statedfactors.Understanding these differences will help improve the educational system in each country.The first distinctive difference between Saudi Arabia and United States educational systems can be found in the language and the fees of the courses. As English is the mother language in United States, the educational system utilizes English language in teaching; yet, in Saudi Arabia, both Arabic and English are used in teaching. Arabic is considered the mother language and English is the language used in business communication. The other point is that education is free in Saudi Arabia and every student in college or university receives monthly stipend from the government as a reward for being a college or university student. On other hand, American students must pay tuitions for their education. Also, they do not receive monthly stipend. However, the government provides student loans to help students in need get education. Saudi students must decide their major from the first year of study. Consequently, they do not have the right to choose elective classes as they are forced to take subjects related to their majors. Because Americans have the right to choose elective courses they want to study, they can major in the third or fourth year of study.
Education continues to be the priority of all nations around the world. Countries devote vast resources to ensure equal opportunity to study for their people. In return, the educated segment of the population becomes the wealth of these nations and will more likely meet the social and economic demands of the country. The educational systems are continuously developed to meet not just the local but also the global demands and challenges. It is more appropriate to look at the disparity on the education sector of one country to another in order to determine what needs to be improved and developed in one’s educational system. This paper aims to provide an assessment on the similarities and differences of education in two countries, Saudi Arabia and the United States of America (USA).
The education in Saudi Arabia and the USA are similar in terms of government spending on education, freedom to choose the school where they will attend to, and education for people with special needs, while differ in terms of attitude towards education, literacy rate, religion in school, gender roles, grading scales, and stages of education.
Both the Saudi Arabia and USA government spend immense resources on the education sector. The Saudi Arabia government’s increased awareness on the importance of education to its people paved way to its provision of bountiful support to education. Like the USA government, the Saudi Arabia government finance general education for both boys and girls. It also provides free post-secondary education and offers financial help to students. At cases, meals, books, and transportation are subsidized. In the same way, the USA government offers free general and post-secondary education for all financed by the government.
In both countries, students are also allowed to choose what school they will attend to. They have the options to enroll in public, private, or home school. Most of the parents prefer to send their children in public school practically because they are much “free” from burden. There were also those who prefer private schools thinking that these schools might provide better, quality education to their children especially for those seeking a competitive edge in college admission. A few considers home schooling best for their children for reasons that they can effectively tailor a curriculum that would best suit their children’s academic strengths and weaknesses, especially those with disabilities.
Aside from home schooling, those with disabilities may be sent to schools which will cater to their needs like schools for the blind, deaf, physically and mentally handicapped, among others (Education, 2005). The Saudi Arabia and USA governments have put on these schools to encourage individuals to their full potential and share social and emotional experiences with their peers having the same conditions as themselves. The curricula in the special classes given to the students were tailored fit to their needs. For instance, the educational programs given to the blind and deaf individuals were different. For sure, blind students were thought of using Braille while deaf students do not.
One variation the Saudi Arabia and the USA government have is the attitude towards education. In the USA, school attendance is mandatory and nearly universal at primary and secondary levels. School districts meet to discuss school curricula, funding, teaching, and other policies to further improve the education in the state. On the other hand, in Saudi Arabia, the government does not impose mandatory attendance in school. Although, it is encouraged that the free primary and secondary education are availed since education is given free and open to every citizen.
The literacy rate for the two countries presented, are varied. The USA literacy rate is estimated at 99% for both men and women, whereas, literacy rate in Saudi Arabia is estimated at only 84.7% for men and 70.8% for women (Literacy, 2007). The Saudi Arabia government recognizes the importance of literacy in propelling the economy; hence, one of its objectives for the education sector is to eradicate illiteracy especially among adults and girls through several literacy programs. In the USA, despite the high literacy rate, the government is continually implementing programs to further develop the education sector.
Religion is the main core of education in Saudi Arabia. The curricula developed conform to theShari’ah (Islamic holy law) and the Qur’an. Men were trained of Islamic education to become members of religious clergy. They provide religious secondary education with focus primarily on Islamic and Arabic studies, although, the curriculum also includes general education. The schools which administer these were Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University and the Islamic University of Medinah (Sedgwick, 2001). On the contrary, education in the USA is not focused on religion but there are some schools which may offer religion subjects that are not quite extensive as religion studies in Saudi Arabia.
In Saudi Arabia, education is segregated by sex. Education for boys is different from education for girls. Education is divided into three separately administered systems: general education for boys, education for girls and traditional Islamic education for boys (Sedgwick, 2001). However, in the recent years, education for girls was continuously being developed to meet the growing demands of the country. Unlike in the USA, education is offered to both sexes, giving them equal opportunity to study. The educational programs that were developed cater to both sexes.
Grading scales were prepared to gauge the students’ performance on school. Grading scales in the USA and Saudi Arabia differ. In the USA, marks were given on the scale of A to F. In the criterion-referenced system, the equivalent grades of these to 0 to 100 percentile are as follows: A=95-100 or 90-100, B=85-95 or 80-90, C=75-85 or 70-80, D=65-75 or 60-70, and F is given to marks below 65 or 60. There is also the norm-referenced system where marks are given as follows: A=top 10% of the class, B=next 20% of the class, C=next 30% of the class, D=next 20% of the class, and bottom 20% of the class (Grading systems, n.d). On the contrary, the grading scale in Saudi Arabia was given as follows: 5=90-100, 4=80-89, 3=70-79, 2=60-69, and 1=0-59 (Sedgwick, 2001).
The stages of education in both countries also vary. Education in Saudi Arabia starts with primary, followed by secondary, and higher education. Primary education is for ages 6 to 12. An intermediate education, which is part of primary education, is carried out for ages 12 to 15. Secondary education is divided into three: general, religious, and technical. These are taken by ages 15 to 18. The higher education is also divided into three stages: the baccaloreus(bachelor’s degree-4 years),darajat al majisteer(master’s degree – 2years), and doctoorah (doctorate- minimum of 3 years) (Sedgwick, 2001). On the other hand, education in the USA is composed of these stages: preschool (1 or 2 yrs), elementary/middle/high school (12 yrs), associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees (Structure: General Information, n.d.).
The differences in education in both countries mainly lie on their history, culture, social and economic conditions, whereas, the similarities were bought about by their desire to provide accessible, quality education free and open to all. Education stimulates the people to contribute to its country in addressing the increasing local and global demands. This motivates the countries to improve and further develop its educational system.
References:
Education (2005). Ministry of Education, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Retrieved on 28 December 2007. < http://www.moe.gov.sa/openshare/englishcon/About-Saud/Education.htm_cvt.html>
Grading Systems (n.d). US Network for Education Information. Retrieved on 28 December 2007. < http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-grading.html>
Literacy (2007). Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved on 28 December 2007.
< https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2103.html>
Sedgwick, Robert. (2001). Education in Saudi Arabia. World Education Services. Retrieved on 28 December 2007.
Structure: General Information (n.d). US Network for Education Information. Retrieved on 28 December 2007. < http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-struc-geninfo.html>
Philosophy of Refusal In Odell And Frayne Works.
Philosophy of Refusal In Odell And Frayne Works.
Shiyuan Qian
University of Connecticut
Philosophy of Refusal In Odell And Frayne Works.
Introduction
Working contributes to one’s happiness and builds confidence and self-esteem, mainly because of the financial reward that one gets from it. It is a belief that most of the people in the societies have. However, this may not be the case for some individuals. This is because they tend to value their talents and hobbies more than the financial benefits they can get from being employed. Also, in employment, the opportunity to perform their activities that one likes may not be possible because they must concentrate on the responsibilities given to them by the company or their employers. Even though involvement in passionate activities is much fun, a source of finance is important to support livelihood. Nevertheless, companies can support individuals’ talents and passion by ensuring employees are delegated with duties that relate to their hobbies. It encourages them to work hard, hence benefiting both the individual through the performance of activities they love, and the company benefits from improved performance.
Frayne and Odell Perspectives
In the philosophy of refusal, the concept of Work is explained by two authors, Frayne and Odell. Frayne brings out the concept of working as a choice irrespective of what society thinks. One can do what they love doing and fail to get employed. However, it is a risk that one will take since they will be financially unstable. Being employed is what gives one money, compared to doing what one likes. Also, due to the understanding and belief of society, people tend to pressure the ones with no jobs to find one. Meaning there are only two factors that make one find a job, which includes the need for money and the pressure from society to get a job.
Odell, on the other hand, addresses the corporate aspect of working. A person appearing not to be working is considered a threat to the company order, hence risking it. Being employed means one becomes productive and, at his point, first benefiting the company through accomplished tasks and also an individual through the financial benefits one gets. However, the seeming not to work projects to an unknown future. This may be due to the non-accomplishment of tasks, which decreases the performance of the company to an unknown level. Therefore, working benefits both the individual and the company, but individuals must always appear to be working, which is now considered as a contribution to the company.
Odell and Frayne In-depth understanding of Work
Being employed or even employing oneself is one of the valued acts in society. Individuals learn, and mostly as they are asked what to do after schooling, everyone would mention working on getting some finances. However, other than getting a job to fulfill one’s dreams, some prefer using their talents and forego the finances expected. In Frayne’s nook refusal to work, he states, “I quite like being unemployed. Financially it’s scary, but I’m doing stuff that I like every day. If the money weren’t a worry, and also the impending doom of getting made to get a job, I would just really love it.” (Frayne, 2015). This text shows that not everyone prefers working or getting the benefits that the community relates to working, but value activities that they lack more than being involved in acts that provide finance, and they don’t like it. However, the freedom to perform the activities one likes instead of being employed is suppressed by the need for money and being made to get a job.
On the other hand, being employed requires working hard not to become a threat in the workplace. Many individuals perform responsibilities that they don’t like and are encouraged by the fact that they will be financially rewarded afterward. However, failing to work is not related to the benefits one will get, but rather the impact they have on the company. Odell mentions that “Appearing as if you’re doing nothing is seen as a threat to the general working order of the company, creating a sense of the unknown.” (Odell, 2019). Odell’s statement shows that being employed requires a fulltime practice of activities, since as one stares at space, or just stands to do nothing experiences lots of questions as they risk the company. Therefore, from the two statements, working may be explained in two dimensions: in the corporate and individual sense.
Reasons for refusal to Work
Unemployment is considered a terrible thing since it shows that the person is not financially supported; therefore, one goes through challenging life hence earn pity from other people. The people use words such as, “oh, it’s terrible what you’re going through.” (Frayne, 2015). According to them, the person is suffering, but on the contrary, he is happy with what he does. He likes being unemployed because it allows him to perform activities that he wants. Frayne’s view shows that people’s refusal to work is based on having a priority on their interests hence prefer engaging in stuff that they like. In another context, this means that employment is generally related to performing responsibilities that people do not like consequently are forced to engage in them. It shows that the employed only work to get financial benefits but not because they like working.
Looking at a person who is employed, it is a company order that they are a threat if they fail to be seen working. Employee performance is a strength to the company; hence as one gazes, or stares into space, a lot of questions are directed to her to find out what she is doing. As Odell puts it, “Appearing as if you’re doing nothing is seen as a threat to the general working order of the company, creating a sense of the unknown.” Odell gives an example of an intern who sits in the office doing nothing, and then the other employees look very strange, and then the leader sees it and says it affects the working atmosphere of the whole company. This place is actually ironic because the rest of the company also plays facebook and does other things at work, which is essentially the same as this intern, which is a kind of refusal of work proposed by odell. Odell wants to use this story to tell us that a lot of them are working right now, but theyre not productive. The notion of inactivity creates a sense of the unknown, showing that the acts of the individuals have consequences. It may be on the company due to failing to reach targets or an individual since their wages are based on their performance. Odell concludes the paragraph by stating that “The potential of nothing is everything.” (Odell, 2019). The statement shows that an effect on a single factor in an organization affects the entire organization. Therefore, if one person fails to perform their responsibility, the company is affected as a whole, which is the unknown factor that Odell mentions. It is a factor of concern as it would occur unexpectedly and affect the company and employees.
Similarities and Differences between Odell and Frayne.
Odell and Frayne both address the issue of refusal of Work. In Frayne’s point of view, refusal of Work is based on a person’s love for their passion and interests. A person refuses to work because he values the activities he loves and would rather indulge in them and remain unemployed. On the other hand, Odell addresses the perception of employed individuals when they seem not to be working. Therefore, both contribute knowledge to the understanding of employment and benefits for working to individuals and corporates. However, Frayne and Odell’s statements differ in that Frayne looks at an individual’s perspective while Odell concentrates on the corporate. Therefore, employees may decide to pretend to be working to benefit themselves while the company looks at the contributions they are making. This difference can be used to determine the reasons for refusal to work and be applied in the improvement of Work when aiming at both individual and corporate benefits.
Personalization of Concept
Having employment or working to get financial benefits from jobs is an essential want among people within a community. People study to get employed and be able to be paid for the services they provide. However, there are those people who are talented with activities that they wish to indulge in all their lives. Therefore, finding a job that incorporates what someone loves is a challenge. Working could be made more fun if a person is given responsibilities in which part of them involves something that one loves. Such an act could make a person wish to work in the process, receives more benefit such as getting money, indulging in passionate activities, and as well the company eliminates the issues of the unknown. The unknown occurs due to failed completion of roles; therefore, as a person performs responsibilities that they love doing, there will be no forceful indulgence, hence eliminate the unknown.
However, this may not be easy since not everyone studies a course that involves their talents and hobbies; hence as they get to the job market, they get employed and perform roles relating to the studied concepts. Also, companies’ available jobs and responsibilities may not be able to integrate responsibilities based on people’s hobbies.
Nevertheless, Odell and Frayne’s perspectives can be used to find the reasons for refusal to work and incorporate in their systems. Frayne addressed the refusal of Work due to individual interests in activities they love. For example, a person whose hobby is reading can be given responsibilities such as in the research and development department, to be finding information that can improve operations. Even though it may be difficult to implement such acts, it would serve a great deal in the improvement of employee performances as well as individual personal growth through their talents and hobbies.
Integration of Odell and Frayne’s ideas
Since working is important as depicted by both Odell and Frayne. Society is concerned about someone who does not have a job, as shown by Frayne by the statement, “oh, it’s terrible what you’re going through.” (Frayne, 2015). The society does not consider other reasons for not working but sees it as a bad ordeal and depending on people for survival. The person says, “Look, I’m not a bum; I’m not a scrounger” (Frayne, 2015). This is to justify his actions so as not to be lazy or dependent on people. The author mentions that the culture is so judgmental, hence showing the benefits of working from the society’s perspective.
Also, working is seen as a strength for the place of Work. When a person fails to perform their responsibility, people are concerned as it is considered a failure. In Odell’s text, the colleagues at Work are all concerned about the character’s behavior as she stares into space. The concern and asking questions are a way of showing the perspective of colleagues; hence working is an essential activity as it contributes to the wages as well as the company, which eliminates the ‘unknown.’ As the workers get into a strike due to unsatisfactory wages, their employer tries to talk them back by saying, “You’re hurting, not helping, to bring it back for yourselves, for us, and San Francisco.” (Odell, 2019). From the statement, good wages are earned by the employees. However, it may also mean that a person has to work hard to get something. The effort put in is the output that one receives. Thus, working is beneficial to a person when they strive to benefit from it.
These two perspectives of the authors can be used to enhance activities in an organization to improve the working of individuals. This application is through Frayne’s idea of refusing to work due to the wish to undertake activities that they love. Therefore, cooperation can use this by giving responsibilities that relate to a person’s talents and what they love. The challenge may be that not all responsibilities involve a person’s passion. However, the roles developed may be linked to a hobby hence made as a consideration during recruitment. Through this process, Odell’s idea of working as an opportunity for the company comes in. When individuals Work involves what they love, there is a probability that they will work passionately, consequently contributing to the objectives of a company. It will benefit both an individual and the company.
Conclusion
Frayne and Odell’s ideas contribute to the concepts of working and can be applied by cooperates to improve experiences in a firm. As both authors address refusal to work, Frayne concentrates more on an individual’s benefits while Odell emphasizes on corporate interests. The ideas can be used to enhance corporate experiences by improving working experiences through allowing employees to undertake activities that relate to what they love hence benefiting themselves and also the company.
References
Frayne, D., 2015. The Refusal Of Work: Rethinking Post-Work Theory And Practice.
Odell, J. (2019). How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy.
Student Assessment
Student Assessment
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The term assessment is in most cases met with a negative reaction from most people. And these is as a result of poor understanding of the meaning of assessment or because of a previous experience that had some impact on the person and some people simply take it in a dismissive way because assessment to them simply brings about a pass or fail situation if which no one likes to stall. Adrian Tennant, in his article “Assessment Matters” defines assessment as the process of giving a consideration to a person or something and thereafter developing an opinion about them. He categorizes assessment into two namely; activity assessment which considers factors such as the ease or difficulty, the usefulness, the hardest part and if the person liked the assessment. The second type is self-assessment where someone analyses what they need to work on, their areas of improvement, what they have learnt among others. He further gives other ways through which assessments can be done, this include giving students homework, having them handle some projects and even involving them in class activities. There should also be flexibility in this assessment for example if in a year three assessments should be given to students, then they should have five assessments and let them know that out of the five given, the best performed three will be considered for their assessment. This will be a consideration of the fact that people have bad days sometimes thereby them another chance to give in their best and get what they deserve, furthermore it reduces the students fear of the assessment. Assessments should be done frequently and at every step of the learning exercise.
To begin with, Tennant’s article helps us understand what assessment really is. For instance he brings out the reasons why assessments are presumed in a negative manner yet it is an activity meant fir the greater good. He goes on to give an appropriate definition of assessment followed by the types of assessments and factors considered when carrying out each of the named assessment, this enables both the students and teachers to understand what is entailed in the assessment and how they can prepare for the assessment without having to worry about the difficulty or ease levels. Also, students’ fear of what they will achieve as the outcome is also catered for when Adrian speaks of flexibility and the number of times that assessments can be done. Furthermore, guidelines of how teachers can help their students to become comfortable with the assessment process and how they can be involved in the entire process are availed (Murillo and Hidalgo, 2020). He advises that assessment should be incorporated in the learning process so that students’ perception of the assessment shifts from thinking that the teacher only cares about the score to understanding that the teacher is concerned about the students’ problems in terms of their understanding of what they are taught.
Tennant brings out his opinion about assessment in a comprehensive manner. The article is detailed and very helpful and will for sure impact the understanding and insights of many who take assessments as an activity to see them fail. His introduction is catching and gives readers the idea being discussed in the article. The explanations are vivid, his ideas clearly elaborated and his content on the article very informative and resourceful. It makes the reader to understand what he is talking about and to in fact rethink about their stand on assessments.
Reference
Murillo, F. J., & Hidalgo, N. (2020). Fair student assessment: A phenomenographic study on teachers’ conceptions. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 65, 100860.