Research KSA University Degree As Compared To Others (Essay Sample)

KSA University Degree As Compared To Others
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Should a KSA University Degree be the same as a Degree earned in another Country?
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has been undergoing some problems in the education system. The government strongly emphasizes that Saudis should be employed despite their suitability for a particular job .There needs to be an improvement in the curriculum and education system of the country. Anyone who can read Arabic is considered as being educated and English is taught from the sixth standard. When compared to other countries, a student who has graduated from o-levels in Saudi is at a lower level than an o-level student from other countries like the United Kingdom is. The Saudi education system is based on four levels, which are primary, elementary, intermediate and secondary. Students then proceed to University. The structure of the system is in order but the way it functions is the problem. The teachers in the system are used to the older system where they are the head of the class and students just write notes. Lectures are not interactive in any way. This eventually affects the kind of university degrees and the student outcomes. The curriculum used is also not up to international standards hence it does not equip students for the global environment. This affects the type of graduates that are produced by the system. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has also failed to embrace advances in technology that may enhance learning. Few institutions have embraced technology. Generally technology that can enhance learning is being accepted at a rather slow pace. The KSA university degree should be the same as a degree earned in another country so that it can be accepted globally.
A study by Mosa (2015) shows that rising demand in Saudi for higher education is under pressure for admitting more students. Many families are under pressure to supplement their income. University education also leads to less unemployed people. To reduce unemployment rates like in other countries, Saudi degrees need to be of international standards so that they are able to produce graduates who will fill in the gaps for professionals required in the Saudi business environment. A large number of jobs are done by expatriates due to lack of adequate education that will produce an adequate number of Saudi graduates. Saudi Arabia has a number of 7 million workers from foreign countries against a population of 16 million. The country highly depends on foreign labor as some jobs cannot be handled by the Saudis as they are not equipped for the same through their learning systems. The university degrees should therefore be like the ones in other countries so that these foreign workers are replaced by qualified and competitive Saudis. The downside however is that Saudi lacks enough qualified teachers for universities hence has to rely heavily on teaching by foreigners.
There is a massive population growth in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and learning trends are changing globally. Many individuals and families are now starting to embrace learning and sometimes the universities are unable to meet this demand. Due to this, university degrees in the country have to be made like those in other countries so that learning is up to international standards. A study done by Al-asmari & Rabb-Khan (2014) explains that information technology has greatly influenced teaching and learning in academic environments. It is therefore important that students are equipped so that they cope with new challenges brought about by technology. E learning is therefore being adopted by many institutions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Though adoption is slow, it is a platform that is being used to make university degrees better just like in other countries. E learning offers possibilities of virtual learning for students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and this is enhancing the type of degrees offered.
Yusuf (2014) also carries out a research that brings out the fact that in spite of the government making efforts there is still lack of a right curriculum that will ensure perfomance in Saudi’s labor force. There is also lack of ICT infrastructure and reluctance of women to work alongside men. These factors have affected the type of university education that is offered in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Upgrading the university education offered will be an invaluable investment, as it will assist to perpetuate a strong economy and enable the country to supplement income generated from oil exports.
Koch (2014) explores higher education projects in Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan. The projects show how there is a move from the national universities towards models of universities, which are globally competitive so that the countries become hubs for elite education. Qualitative methods are used to analyze the geopolitical context, which has been used to materialize the projects. The developments in the Saudi Arabian system are a mirror of internationalization agendas that are being implemented by Western Universities. The government should therefore have more of similar projects as they will enable students from Saudi universities be able to compete with others in the global setting. In the next few years, the government should ensure that universities comply and implement learning systems that will ensure that students can compete in global market.
Al-Motairy & Stainbank (2014) also conduct a study that aims to determine to what extent the International Education Standards (IES) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. There are plans to transition to the International Financial Reporting Standards in the few coming years by the country. This can only happen if the country has professionals in the accounting field as per international standards. The study used unstructured interviews and results show that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not completely follow International Education Standards. There were gaps found with regards to professional skills, ethics and values. This is a reflection of other professions and the country needs to ensure that it implements International Education Standards in University education so that vari...