[gallery size="medium" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" td_gallery_title_input="Why Saudi parents are increasingly enrolling their children in international schools" ids="97926,97928,97927"] The past few years have seen increasing public interest in international schools. Once a rarity, a record number of Saudis are enrolling their children in private international schools despite exorbitant tuition fees that range anywhere between SR30,000 and SR80,000 a year. Parents believe that private international schools are better than public and private ones because they teach foreign curricula and instill important values in children's minds, Al-Riyadh daily reports, on the increasing number of Saudi parents enrolling their children in international schools. Studies A study conducted by a group of researchers at a local university showed that the majority of parents who participated in the study preferred to enroll their children in international schools where the medium of instruction is English from the elementary to the secondary grades. The study sample included 600 parents from four cities. In another study conducted by Muhammad Al-Khaldi, a professor of education at Umm Al-Qura University, the results also came in favor of international schools. Over 70 percent of Saudi parents said they will enroll their children in international schools while 18 percent rejected the idea. Modern approaches Najwa Al-Meqbil, a professor of educational management, believes that international schools are good for Saudi students who have lived abroad with their families and returned to the Kingdom with poor Arabic language. "The teaching methods used in these schools should be adopted by local schools," she suggested. Nawal Al-Juhani, an elementary school teacher, says the curricula of international schools are taught in English, which means that if a student enrolls in such a school, completes three grades then decides to change to a public or private school, he will struggle to make the transition due to poor Arabic language skills. "Once a student is enrolled in an international school, he has to finish his entire schooling in the same system," she said. Noora Al-Ghamdi lived with her husband overseas when he was serving as the Saudi cultural attaché in a foreign country. She says international schools offer high quality education, something hard to find in private or public Arabic schools. "International schools are better and teachers are more qualified, especially elementary grade teachers. They act as a platform through which Saudi students can meet their counterparts from all walks of life and get acquainted with foreign cultures. It is an enriching and rewarding experience," she said. Extracurricular activities Nada Al-Wayli, a mother of four, had to enroll her children in several international schools and changed the schools three times before finding the right one, which, in her opinion, offers extensive extracurricular activities to children. She agreed that international schools have pros and cons and one of the cons is they rarely offer courses in Arabic beyond the elementary level. "I teach my children Arabic at home and sometimes pay tutors to come home and give them Arabic lessons and teach them Islamic subjects. "I know some families who have refused to let their children go to international schools because they do not have enough time to teach their children Arabic outside school," she noted. Role of families Nehal Al-Humood, a private-sector employee, is against sending Saudi children to international schools because such schools can have a negative impact on students' cultural values. "I think most Saudi families who enroll their children in these schools do so because they want to show off and tell others that their children go to foreign schools," she said, noting that families should be aware of the negative impact of such a decision.
