International schools becoming popular among Saudis

Around SR24.1 billion has been invested in international schools and education in Saudi Arabia.
This figure is likely to increase over the next few years due to a large turnout of prospective students at foreign community schools in cities across the Kingdom, a local daily reported Sunday.
Investments are predicted to hit SR50 billion due to the emergence of groups of Saudis who prefer foreign education. Enrollment rates in foreign schools are increasing from year to year, especially with the increased awareness that these schools offer facilities for joining foreign missions or universities, the paper said.
Previous studies on foreign education have indicated that an overwhelming proportion of guardians prefer to have their children attend special education schools and international schools.
Although international schools charge higher fees, guardians believe that these schools could help their children achieve aspirations better than government schools.
According to recently published statistics, there are approximately 321 foreign schools in the Kingdom, which conduct 8,000 classes attended by approximately 180,000 students, of which 2 percent are Saudi.
The American syllabus is the highest in demand by Saudi students and Indian and Pakistani schools are the highest in terms of the number of students in Jeddah and Riyadh.
Riyadh has the largest number of students enrolled in its foreign schools, estimated at 80 schools with some 65,000 students, while Jeddah is considered the largest city in terms of number of schools, with around 95 establishments, followed by the Eastern Province, which has 56 schools with a total of 80,000 students, the paper said.
Alkhobor is considered the best for foreign schools in the Eastern Province and third in the Kingdom, with a total number of around 40,000 students.
Foreign schools in the Kingdom are divided into two sections. These are foreign community schools, such as those of the Philippines and British schools. There are approximately 75 international community schools in the Kingdom.
The second type is Saudi-owned schools where the international curriculum is taught. There are approximately 225 international schools owned by Saudis in the Kingdom.
International schools in the Kingdom are normally supervised by foreign international organizations such as SABIS, the European Council of International Schools (ECIS) or the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSASC). Foreign community schools are guided by the syllabuses of their countries.