Just before he left he gave an exclusive interview to Arab News on his second term in Saudi Arabia (his first visit to the country was in 1995 for three years) and his reflections on the changes and challenges in the Kingdom.
“When I first came back — (it) seemed much the same place — not changed on the face of it that much. It takes a while to understand that there is quite a bit going on underfoot that have a profound impact on Saudi-UK relations,” he said.
“The main vision (now) is on reforming the economy and how Saudi Arabia does business — making the budget more transparent, more formal, investing in diversifying the economy — all part of the same strategy. Education reform and economic reform are the big movers here.”
He said for the first time in a long period there was a sovereign and group of senior people who were looking long term and could foresee some of the issues Saudi Arabia was likely to face in the next five to 10 years.
“They accept that you can’t just go on the same old way. Some of the assumptions that underpin Saudi Arabia...may not be enough to see them into the future.”
One, he noted, was that oil could no longer be taken for granted. It currently accounts for 60 percent of GDP and 90 percent of revenue. Moreover, the country’s population is forecast to double over the next three decades and the Kingdom will need to have found other sources of income by then, he added.
Patey said that the strategy, “a sensible and pragmatic one,” was to use the Kingdom’s energy advantage to diversify into industries that are energy intensive. Saudi Arabia, he said, had also embarked on an ambitious strategy of developing a knowledge-based economy.
The vision seems to be backed up by ongoing investment in universities as demonstrated by the recent establishment of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, as well as plans to export solar energy. In addition, 80,000 Saudi scholars travel overseas each year.
Whether the grand plan succeeds is another matter, said Patey, adding that the Kingdom would have to make better use of its women. “Saudi Arabia is investing hugely in the education of women but is not realizing the benefits of that investment. If they truly want to become a knowledge-based society, then finding a way of cashing in on that investment will be key.” He said, “I am not confident that women will be able to exploit their education, a lot of them will go into education. There are a lot of very good women who would otherwise be doing other things who will become educators.”
Building universities to integrate output with the needs of expanding industry was one challenge, Patey saw.
Another was fulfilling the need for world-class kindergarten and secondary schools, he said. “That’s the biggest problem. You will have to do both — if the secondary education system does not improve, a lot of these universities will have to start foundation courses,” he added.
He suggested the possible solution of establishing groups of schools with heavy investment in equipment and top quality committed staff, as well as “principals with vision properly supported, trained and given freedom in curriculum development.” One without the other would not work, he said. “A knowledge economy doesn’t start with graduates, it starts with your kids at a much lower age.”