Abstract
At first glance, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s current multi-billion dollar investment in its social sector, especially in setting up new schools and universities, seems to have as its primary aim the preparation of the Kingdom for a future that is not dependent on its oil resources which are predicted to run out in less than a 100 years. However, there is another consideration that warrants examination in the current context. KSA is also positioning itself to assume a dominant role firstly among the Gulf countries, secondly in the Arabic world and thirdly globally. The two ambitions are obviously intertwined but are likely to have distinct impacts on the international academy. To this end, the Higher education sector has seen unprecedented growth both in student numbers and infrastructure due to the expenditure of massive amounts of money. More than 13 billion dollars is pumped into education and of this Higher Education receives more than two billion annually. However, because the main concern for KSA’s Higher Education development is to maintain its Arabian base whilst striving to become internationally relevant, the funds are applied in a centrally controlled manner that aims to balance the two ambitions. In practice, the gender-based segregation is one issue that continues to be an unresolved and contested complication. This paper argues that ultimately international competitiveness is likely to be impact significantly and possibly irrevocably on Saudi cultural traditions and religion norms.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
Author of the 2005 book, “My School is a Locked Box” which discusses the inadequacies of education for girls in the Kingdom.
As an example, whereas the latter has McDonald’s and KFC outlets, the former as yet shows no signs of succumbing to the fast food chains.
King Saud University in Riyadh, King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah and Taibah University in Madinah.
References
Abdullah, S. (2010). NCAAA’s patience running thin with universities. Arab News. Published Mar 1, 2010. Accessed 25 May 2010 at http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article24651.ece.
Ahmad, S., & Junaid, F. (2010). Higher education in federally administered tribal areas of Pakistan after 9/11: Problems and prospects. US-China Education Review, 7(5), 55–65.
Altbach, P. G. (2010). Why branch campuses may be unsustainable. International Higher Education, 58. Accessed 12 Nov 2010 at http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/soe/cihe/newsletter/Number58/p2_Altbach.htm.
Anchimbe, E. (2009). The native-speaker fever in English language teaching (ELT): Pitting pedagogical competence against historical origin. Linguistik online, 26, 1/06. Accessed 25 Nov 2010 at www.linguistik-online.de/26_06/anchimbe_a.html.
Bashshur, M. (2010). Observations from the edge of the deluge: Are we going too far, too fast in our educational transformation in the Arab Gulf? In O. Abi-Mershed (Ed.), Trajectories of education in the Arab world: Legacies and challenges (pp. 247–272). New York: Routledge.
Burki, S. (2005). Educating the Pakistani masses. Washington, DC: Woodrow Wilson Center.
Chaminade, C., & Vang, J. (2006). Globalisation of knowledge production and regional innovation policy: Supporting specialized hubs in developing countries. CIRCLE, Lund University Paper no. 2006/15. Accessed 25 May 2010 at http://www.circle.lu.se/upload/CIRCLE/workingpapers/200615_Charminade_Vang.pdf.
Chesler, P. (2010). Ban the Burqa? The argument in favor (pp. 33–45). Fall: Middle East Quarterly.
Donn, G., & Al Manthri, Y. (2010). Globalisation and Higher Education in the Arab Gulf States. Oxford: Symposium Books.
Findlow, S. (2000). The United Arab Emirates: Nationalism and Arab Islamic identity. Abu Dhabi: ECSSR.
Halim, S., & Meyers, M. (2010). News coverage of violence against Muslim women. Communication, Culture & Critique, 3, 85–104.
Jenkins, J. (2008). ELF and the international university. Keynote paper at the annual international cultural and linguistic practices in the international university (CALPIU) conference, Roskilde, December 2008.
Karam, A. (1997). Essential veiling: Static symbolism revisited. Thamyris, 4, 338–346.
Khan, M. (2010). Issues of access in public and private Higher Education institutions in Islamabad Pakistan. Open Access Dissertations. Paper 186. Accessed 28 Nov 2010 at http://scholarworks.umass.edu/open_access_dissertations/186.
Kirk, D., & Napier, D. (2009a). The transformation of higher education in the United Arab emirates: Issues, implications, and intercultural dimensions. In J. Zajda, H. Daun, & L. Saha (Eds.), Nation-building, identity and citizenship education: cross-cultural perspectives (Vol. 3, pp 131–142). Globalisation, Comparative Education and Policy Research. Dordrecht: Springer.
Kirk, D., & Napier, D. (2009b). Issues of gender, equality, education, and national development in the United Arab Emirates. In A. Wiseman (Ed.), Gender, equality and education from international and comparative perspectives (Vol. 10, pp. 301–331), Emerald: International Perspectives on Education and Society.
Mokhtar, H. (2009). Universities face disqualification over academic standards. Arab News, Oct 27. Accessed 25 May 2010 at http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Universities+face+disqualification+over+academic+standards-a0210623224.
Murphy, C. (2010). Cleric’s support for men and women mingling sparks furore. Christian Science Monitor, Accessed 10 Dec 2010 at http://goatmilkblog.com/2010/04/14/clerics-support-for-men-and-women-mingling-in-public-sparks-furor-in-saudi-arabia/.
Onsman, A. (2010a). Dismantling the perceived barriers to the implementation of the NCAAA Higher Education guidelines in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Journal of Higher Education Management and Planning, 32(5), 511–519.
Onsman, A. (2010b). Cross-border teaching and the globalization of Higher Education: Problems of funding, curriculum quality, and international accreditation. Lewiston: EMP.
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. (2009). Saudi Arabia increases spending on education. Accessed 01 Jun 2010 at https://community.oecd.org/docs/DOC-2055;jsessionid=20BEED17588971E82062BF3A616D470F.
Scott, P. (2010). International education: Alternatives to the market. International Higher Education, 61, 2–3.
Shahidan, H. (1997). The politics of the Veil: Reflections on symbolism, Islam, and feminism. Thamyris, 4, 325–337.
Singer, A. (2010). Strategy as metatheory. Integral review, 6(3), 57–72.
Stephens, J., Hernandez, M., Román, M., Graham, A., & Scholz, R. (2008). Higher education as a change agent for sustainability in different cultures and contexts. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 9(3), 317–338.
Syed, J. (2010). An historical perspective on Islamic modesty and its implications for female employment. Equality Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 2(29), 150–166.
Van Dijk, E. (2010). Sharia and national law in Saudi Arabia. In J. Otto (Ed.), Sharia incorporated: A comparative overview of the legal systems of twelve muslim countries in past and present. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press.
Wilkins, S. (2010). Higher education in the United Arab Emirates an analysis of the outcomes of significant increases in supply and competition. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 32(4), 389–400.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Onsman, A. It is better to light a candle than to ban the darkness: government led academic development in Saudi Arabian universities. High Educ 62, 519–532 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-010-9402-y
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-010-9402-y