Special Education System in Saudi Arabia Elementary, Secondary and Higher Education
Abdulelah Alqahtani
Shawnee State University
Abstract
This paper provides a brief background of the education system in Saudi Arabia and specifically describes the present types of programs and services offered within the country with respect to individuals with special needs. In addition, findings of an ongoing study about the attitudes of teachers and paraeducators towards the integration of children with special needs into regular schools. In fact, the paper will talk about special education services and programs for students with disabilities. The paper provides previous and current researches about the educational process in Saudi Arabia. Additionally, the paper will discuss some of the issues that related to students with disabilities and their learning through the educational march
Introduction
Children who live with physical, sensory, intellectual, mental and multiple disabilities are amongst the most stigmatized and all too often marginalized within the family, school and wider community. The resulting poor education outcomes affect their opportunities and increase their vulnerability to violence, abuse and exploitation. People with disabilities in Saudi Arabia did not receive any type of special education services prior to 1958. The parents of students with disabilities were responsible for providing any assistance to their children (Al-Ajmi, 2006). Therefore,
Based on a systematic review of liertature on the dissertation topic: attituides of Arab Americans toward persons with developemntal disabilties, a researcher defines what does mean by a theory and identify those thoeies that were discssied in the litertute and how they underpin the examination of Arab American attitudes toward persons with developmental disabilities. Futhermore, a researcher provides describtion to theories that were utlitiezed in the study, and application of selected thories were discssued. Lastly, a disscsion on what have been learnred from those thories in reltionship to the study topic.
The Education is under the direction of Ministry of Education (MOE). It encompasses of the government funded public schools where in the UAE nationals study free and the private schools cater to the expat population where MOE is responsible for the licensing (Bradshaw, 2004). Education is compulsory till grade 9.The country follows the Islamic human rights that every individual has a right to education (Bradshaw, 2004). The development in the education paved way to cater to the education of special needs and it began in a segregated setting called ‘Centre’s for Special Needs’ under the direction of MOSA.
A disabled is a person who has had impairment in the past where such impairment can be of various types of chronic disease, physical, sensory and developmental disabilities. In recent years, the number of people with disabilities is constantly rising due to the aging population and global increase in chronic conditions associated with disability. In 2012 alone, there are about one billion people who are disabled which accounts for 15% of the world’s population. In the same year, there are roughly about 4148 people who are disabled in Brunei Darussalam that accounts for about 1.06% of Brunei’s total population (Rozan Yunos, 2012). Disabled people require constant assistance in completing basic daily tasks and there are lots of areas where care for the disabled can be improved in Brunei. Four main areas where the care for the disabled can be improved are in the field of education, housing and communication.
In this section, I will be describing how the life quality factors and caring skills will be provided for Karim by the different job roles found in a special education needs setting. I will also be looking at the possible way Karim may be treated ineffectively by the various job roles found in special education needs settings and the potential barriers that may prevent the children from being treated well.
Many studies focused on how the services for special needs children contribute to their education. However, very few studies recognize the role of the society in their attitude towards success. This paper answers the following questions: 1) how education affect the disabled, 2) how to improve education outcomes for students with disabilities, 3) how can the society deal with the disabled students, and 3) how to identify special learning disabilities.
There is a huge gap that cannot be explained by words between head knowledge and experiential knowledge with regard how those people with special needs are segregated in those countries. Because the segregation of individuals with developmental delay is so severe, people are often unwilling to admit to having family members with developmental disabilities (Kalyanpur,
Education in Saudi Arabia is segregated by sex and divided into three separately administered systems: general education for boys, education for girls and traditional Islamic education (for boys). The Ministry of Education, established in 1952, presides over general education for boys, and education for girls comes under the jurisdiction of the General Presidency for Girls' Education. Both sexes follow the same curriculum and take the same annual examinations.
Approximately 13% of all students have disabilities (Theoharris & Causton, 2014). Inclusive practices have been spreading, and the number of students with disabilities in general education has increased. According to The Turkish Ministry of National Education (MEB) statistics (2016), in 2006, 54,309 students with disabilities attended general education, and this number raised to 201,142 in 2016. Celebrating diversity and valuing differences should be a priority to achieve effective inclusive practices. However, many teachers are not adequately trained to discuss disability, and they have lack of
“Persons living with disabilities in Somalia are discriminated against by their families, the public and the state, and do not receive any additional protection.” (AI, 2015, p. 3)
The government of Bangladesh have endorsed numerous legislation and policies to ensure quality to those children with special educational needs and disability. Few of the policies include; Education Policy (2000) and (2010) this policy expressed that to enable equity for special need children, the schools need to provide facilities to support them, Persons with Disability Welfare Act (2001) and many more. However, although having such policies,
In the last decades, the number of Saudi undergraduates enrolled in universities in the United has surged dramatically. The trend is caused by the scholarship program that allowed Saudi students to study abroad while having their government pay for their tuition fees and living expenses. However, while these students are aware of the career opportunities that await them back home in the event that they finish schooling, many of them fail to return with a diploma. The problem is that, they find it difficult to adjust to the education systems implemented in foreign universities. The Saudi education system is marked by bureaucracy, which means that all important decisions pertaining to education are made by state officials, whereas the American education system places emphasis on individuality. That is, students are encouraged to make their own choices about almost all aspects of their education. Saudi students who are not able to adjust appropriately to the demands of Western education are also not able to maximize the benefits of studying in a multicultural academic institutions.
It is found that throughout the Middle East, the higher public educational sector is struggling to provide quality education to the scholars just because of the lack of facilities and advanced teaching skills. The higher public education of Saudi Arabia identify the requirement to offer quality services if they want to produce competent professionals for their better future. According to Onsman (2011), quality is considered as an important factor for most of the organizations as it is measured to be the core business and competitive practice. Moreover, the quality administration has turned out to be a planned strategy to attain greater performance and effectiveness in their related industry. It is important for the success of an educational institution that their higher officials must provide all sorts of assistance by giving them job satisfaction, rewards and substantial things to their faculty member that can ultimately enhance their individual performance to the greatest level. On the other hand, Zakari (2011) argue that leadership is concerning the abilities, skills, attitude, and information crucial for the attainment of quality advantages, which is important given the number of educational institution endeavoring to weave quality plans into their strategic orientation.
Special education is a new field in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and people in general lack to the knowledge how to express their feelings toward special-needs kids; how to deal with them; and how much involvement is required between the families of the children with special needs and specialists and schools. As a result, Saudi families with special needs kids are facing tremendous
This proves to be a worthwhile endeavour that is both significant and essential to learners in this 21st century. This is a momentous time especially in light of the fact that Trinidad and Tobago like many other countries before it, has embarked on an educational venture that will facilitate students with disabilities being educated alongside their age and grade level non-disabled counterparts.
Kuwait Society for the Welfare of the Disabled has many aims to serve the Kuwaiti 's community and specific for people with disability. One of their main goals is providing heath and community care for children who cannot find anywhere else. Also, they provide clubs and institutions to assist people with special need to have special care, shelter, and guidance. Moreover, Kuwait Society for the Welfare of the Disabled prepares children with disabilities to be educated and trained, and provides family counseling to families of children with disabilities. In addition, Kuwait Society for the Welfare of the Disabled has been Cooperating and coordinating with government and private agencies to educate the