Saudi Gazette The Kingdom will now soon have new international schools as the Saudi educational group has sealed a partnership deed with a Kuwaiti educational company. The Saudi group had previously founded the Al-Faris International School (AFIS) in Riyadh. The schools will commence in the beginning of 2013 at a whopping cost of SR1 billion. Al-Faris group reported that investment in education in the Kingdom during the current year amounted to SR250 million and is expected to climb to SR half a billion by 2014. The owner and school director of AFIS Sahar Al-Marzouki, highlights the benefits of investing in educational institutes in the Kingdom. Due to the rising demand by expats and Saudis alike for higher standards in education — there has been on an average a 40 percent increase in student enrollments in international schools in the country -ever since the Ministry of Education permitted Saudi students, two years back, to attend them. It is estimated that the number of Saudi students enrolled in international schools will increase by 100 percent by the 2012/2013 school year. Currently, there are 20 international schools in Riyadh that have Saudi students on board, and Al-Marzouki anticipates that by next year, Saudi children will be seated in over 200 international schools across the nation. She revealed in a press conference held earlier this week that Al-Faris group plans to build four new international schools in cooperation with the Kuwaiti company in Jeddah, Khamis Mushayt and Al-Khobar. She further told Al-Watan daily, “I assume that the international schools will attract more students each year, and in effect pull the rug from under the regular private schools in the Kingdom in the near future. The international schools that teach the core curriculum in the English or French language have gained more popularity because these schools prepare graduates to qualify for elite universities worldwide. In addition, parents are seeking international schools because they believe that these schools equip the students with better language skills, tools, and the academic and practical knowledge, which they need to excel in the job market. Due to the high level of competitiveness among Saudi graduates in the job market, parents want to arm their children from a young age to get ahead in their education and land in the right job. The international schools that are in highest demand are those that teach the American, British, or French curriculum and most parents realize that the younger the child is, the easier it is for him/her to learn and adjust to a foreign language.” As for the tuition fees for the proposed international schools, Al-Marzouki was unclear and she said that the tuition fees and the expenses incurred upon the families will differ from school to school and region to region. She condemned those international schools that exponentially raised their tuition fees in response to the increased demand by Saudis. “In previous years, the international schools were established mainly for the children of diplomats and foreign professionals working in the Kingdom. The number and scope of international schools gradually expanded to be run by Saudi citizens, and finally to welcome Saudi children and students of all nationalities,” said Al-Marzouki. In the new schools that Al-Faris group is in the process of creating, the Arabic language along with Islamic Education lessons will be taught to the students and will be considered compulsory courses. __
