International schools catch on with Saudis

International schools in the Kingdom are steadily gaining popularity among Saudi students due to parents’ perceptions that their children stand to acquire a more well-rounded education in these schools despite the high fees.
According to recently published statistics, there are currently 321 foreign schools in the Kingdom conducting 8,000 classes and attended by 180,000 students of which 2 percent are Saudis.
“I have enrolled my sons in an international school in Jeddah. While the academic program is excellent, the fees are very high,” Hamed Al-Olyan, a Saudi living in Jeddah, told Arab News.
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 the number of schools, with around 95 establishments, followed by the Eastern Province, which has 56 schools with a total of 80,000 students, according to government statistics.
Alkhobar is considered the best city for foreign schools in the Eastern Province and third in the Kingdom, with a total number of around 40,000 students.
Some Saudi families refuse to register their children in international schools fearing that the pedagogy in these schools will weaken the Arab and Islamic culture.
“I have enrolled my elder son in an international school in Jeddah and think that it will help him achieve his aspirations. But I hope my son will preserve his Arab and Islamic culture,” Turki Abdul Khaleq, a Saudi resident, told Arab News.
There are two kinds of foreign schools in the Kingdom: the community schools run by the embassies of countries for their nationals living in Saudi Arabia and the international schools teaching British and American curricula. There are approximately 75 community schools in the Kingdom.
“It is important for Saudi private schools to develop their academic programs to attract more students as the international schools have done. At present, there is strong competition between Saudi private schools and international schools,” Abdul Aziz Al-Makhlouf, a Saudi private school director in Jeddah, said.
International schools 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) while foreign community schools are guided by the syllabuses of their countries.