Mariam Nihal Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — Most expatriates are forced to send their children abroad for higher studies due to limited choices and high costs of university education in the Kingdom. A number of foreign residents spoke to Saudi Gazette expressing concern over the exorbitant fee structure in Saudi universities that accept expatriate children. Fatima Azhar, a 39-year-old Indian schoolteacher in Jeddah, is the sole breadwinner in her family after husband's death. “I cannot afford the SR60,000 fee for my daughter's undergraduate program, let alone my son who wants to get into aviation,” she told Saudi Gazette. Azhar said all her children used to attend international schools in the city but after the death of her husband, she shifted them to the Indian school because it was “the only affordable option.” She said, “Financially no matter how strong or weak they are, most of my Filipino, Sri Lankan, Pakistani and Egyptian friends tend to send their children back home either because the colleges here are too expensive for expats earning meager salaries or because of non-availability of courses they prefer.” Salma Masoud, a 24-year-old Bangladeshi student in Riyadh, said, “I always wanted to study audio engineering. My brother wanted to do film production. Neither of us found institutions that offer those courses here. It is hard to believe that a progressive country like Saudi Arabia cannot set up universities of global standards like the neighboring Gulf states.” Asad Masoud, Salma's 55-year-old father, said, “I didn't want my kids to go back to Bangladesh alone so I chose to send them to Dubai, which is closer and where they have a world of choices. I really think Saudi Arabia has the potential to become the leader in education.” Many parents from South Asian communities told Saudi Gazette that the biggest problem they face here is when they have to send their children who were born and brought up in Saudi Arabia for higher education abroad. “I had to send my two daughters back to India. They had such a tough time fitting in because it was a cultural and social shock. In fact the syllabus they study in an international school in Saudi Arabia is different from what is offered in India. However, they knew we cannot afford to keep them here and they had to cope,” said Saira Khan, a 47- year-old Indian mother in Najran. Yusuf Mirza, a 50-year-old Pakistani manager living in Dammam, sent his children back to Karachi to pursue their university education. “Look, expat parents are forced to send their children to a foreign land because they cannot afford the high expenses of higher education here,” he said. It is hard for parents who have raised their children in the Kingdom to find a college for them because of the high costs and non-availability of preferred courses. “For Saudis education is, more often than not, free of cost. It's great to see how the government supports Saudi male and female students,” said Amal Sharmain, a 23-year-old Tunisian housewife in Jeddah. “I lived all my life here. I saw my Saudi friends go abroad on scholarships; even their Mahrams (male guardians) were paid for during the course of their education. And here I am struggling to pay a fee of SR55,000 for my bachelor's program in a Saudi university.”
