Mariam Nihal Saudi Gazette Aristotle wrote, “Educated men are as much superior to uneducated as the living are to the dead.” That is what an educational system needs to provide for the multitudes to be educated such that they are ready to offer superior solutions to the traditional and modern problems besetting a developing nation. In order for a nation to be developed and self-sufficient its knowledge base should be such that it accommodates a variety of subjects that in turn churn the wheels of knowledge and growth. To reach this level, it is necessary for the nation to invest in its youth from the cradle to develop generations of handy and educated youth. The education system also provides a preview of a country's future. The young generation demands a universal educational system that goes beyond school syllabi and helps them become true global citizens. Many students who spoke to Saudi Gazette said education gives people a means to support themselves financially, but the aim of education should be to learn, evaluate, grow and help make a change in the lives of others. Students also mentioned that an educational system should benefit the economic growth of one's country but it should also inspire students to fight for human rights. Shahd Bawarith, a 17-year-old Saudi student at Jeddah Knowledge International School, said she looks for an education system that allows communication and gives students the freedom of expression. “Being a more socially included individual, I look for an education system that opens doors toward expression. In my opinion, it is fundamental that people learn the art of communication, interaction, the expression of ideas and build upon their creativity.” She said, “Education should be expressed as knowledge acquired by an individual through means of investigation and research instead of rigid instructions. Therefore, an ideal education system would be one that enhances these qualities within a person.” Jude Abduljawad, a 19-year-old Saudi interior design student at Dar Al-Hekma College in Jeddah, said, “Education is a means of liberation and expansion to be able to make a change in the world. “Education to me is aspiring to develop in order to contribute to change. What I basically look for in an educational system is a unique environment that doesn't limit my opportunity to learn a variety of courses that are not necessarily tied to my major.” She said she wants to be a part of a community that encourages her to expand creatively and academically so she can become a ‘well rounded' student. “I also look for an educational system that works on developing my skills rather than focusing on what I already can do.” Tala Al-Ghamdi, an 18-year old Saudi student at Dar Al-Hekma, is looking for more independence in choosing subjects at universities in the Kingdom. “As a person whose interests are polar, what I look for in an educational system is the independence to choose what courses I'll take. There isn't much of that here, but I try to make do anyways.” She is the founder of a local arts magazine, “Salt” in Jeddah. She enjoys subjects like economics, sociology and business but said there are no short courses in each of these fields. “I don't want to pursue an entire course based on business because I feel like it would be too tedious to do for four whole years. Although there are a lot of courses abroad that are interdisciplinary, like liberal studies, we haven't arrived at that point here.” Talking about what she looks for in an educational system, she said: “I think this should be what all higher education institutions striving toward, because it allows students to first figure out what it is they want to pursue and then graduate with different perspectives and different approaches and that would definitely create a more diverse or interesting labor field.” She said she feels the need to develop awareness about each student's competence. “Especially with language. Most students, even though they speak excellent English, can hardly write and end up taking beginner writing courses when they could be filling up their schedule with something more useful.” She also emphasized on the need for universities being accredited abroad ? a determining factor for most university applicants. “There's also the issue of accreditation as some institutions are more recognized than others abroad and I don't want to be hindered by the lack of accreditation if I choose to pursue a master's degree elsewhere.” While attending the Casual Art Talk hosted by Soraya Darwish/Onqoud, Tala realized the importance of recognition needed by “creatives” who wish to pursue arts. “We were talking about the Saudi art scene and the current ‘evolution/golden age' and there was a lot of talk about one thing that is holding us back: a lack of recognition of arts in Saudi curriculum and how it makes us see people who pursue arts as a career as outcasts (particularly if they are men whose only job is their art).” Nashwa Al-Akeel, an 18-year-old Saudi psychology student at Effat University, said education is of no use when it is not relevant to everyday life. “What I look for is an education system that extends beyond the classroom and can be applied to the real world. What's the point of learning facts and figures if it is not going to do me any good in my life.” She said education that is most useful to a student is the one that helps him or her in a real world setting. She said this could be done by going beyond classrooms by integrating lessons and lectures into daily life. “Through projects that stimulate students to go out into the community to find out more. That's the kind of education system that I find actually useful to this generation and it can be found within the school of life, and educators need to incorporate it.” Saba Farid, a 19-year-old British student living in Riyadh, wants to pursue finance as her major and contribute to making changes within the economy. “I was born and raised here so I hope I can contribute to the economy. “I have a great interest in finance and I know that it is not all about money. It is a lot about economics. I want an educational system to focus on more important factors ? teaching languages, cultures, moral ethics and broadening our sphere of thinking by giving us real life experiences in the field so that we may become better individuals, professionals and human beings.” “The quantity of education, the quality of education and the subject matter have the potential to affect one's future,” said Rehana Malik, a 22-year-old Indian student living in Jeddah. As an arts student, she said the production and appreciation of humanity involves thought processes that have been excluded from traditional old school measures of intelligence. “I expect an educational system to focus more on the reality and go beyond classroom routines.” Alana Sunbol, an 18-year-old Saudi student at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, believes that education is a very important foundation for life. She said getting an education is more than just what we do so we can establish a career later on. “It is learning about what we are interested in and expanding our knowledge. “By doing that we become better rounded human beings, and therefore we will be able to further benefit our societies. Getting an education gives us the proper tools to do so.” Sunbol believes the educational system needs to go beyond the curriculum. Currently a college student, Sunbol said her learning experiences would help shape her future career. “Therefore, I expect the university to provide a well-rounded system that will help me to do so. By well-rounded system I mean going beyond just teaching us the curriculum, but also helping us apply this to our daily lives.” She said during high school, students often question how they will benefit from their school syllabi in the future. “Now in college, everything we take would be related to our future careers, so that alone would not be sufficient. We need to put it into action; experience what we learn. As I hopefully want to go into medicine, choosing where I want to study is very important. I need a good education, as well as ensuring that I am provided with sufficient work experience.” She said the overall focus of an educational system that teaches medicine should be to prepare students for the rigorous lifestyle that comes with being a doctor. “An advantage I get from studying medicine here is going straight into the program, unlike in many other countries where I would need to get a bachelor of science first.” Haya Bakhashab, an 18-year-old Saudi student at Dar Al-Hekma, is currently studying graphic design. Haya chose what most girls do in Saudi Arabia due to lack of a proper fine irts institute. “I actually wanted to study fine arts and was looking for a diverse and strongly structured program (drawing, painting, sculpting, molding, etc.) which is unfortunately not available here. I also look for a creative community in general.” Jasmine Role, a 20-year-old Turkish student living in Jeddah, believes education is a means of freedom. “Education is an essential human virtue. It is important for integration of separate entities and is a basis of a good life.”
