The New Saudi Educational Renaissance: In between the “Capacity to Aspire” and the “Capacity to Remember”

The Role of Cultural Contexts in Research Design Decisions

“…They were described to have influenced the teachers to self-enhance their behavior because Islam praises those who work hard to achieve their goals (Jonathan et al, 2009). Taking these conclusions into account, it seems also that IWE could help in explaining the conflicting research results that will be discussed in this article, especially that the balance between secularism and religious fundamentalism in education in the Gulf seems not to have been completely settled (Pavan, 2014). Within the tensions of global versus local, teachers need to find their way of "pleasing" the government who seem to deploy international curricula as a means to educational improvement but which has been found to violate their own beliefs about education (Hayes et al, 2015).…”

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques’ Overseas Scholarship Program: Targeting Quality and Employment

“…A record 16,000 Saudi students graduated from US universities in 2014(Saudi Gazette, April 4, 2015, and the cultural attaché at the Saudi embassy in Washington reported that in 2015-2016 about 580 students from the Kingdom were studying at the top 10 universities in the US, while 1,600 had secured medical fellowships at outstanding hospitals across the country (Saudi Gazette, April 13, 2016). After announcing that, subject to certain conditions, 12,000 Saudi students who were studying in the US at their own expense could be included in the scholarship program (Arab News, May 15, 2015) -it is estimated that approximately 85% of Saudi students abroad are sponsored by government funding: see Abouammoh et al, 2014, p.45 -King Salman confirmed that all Saudi students studying in the US at their own expense could join the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques's Overseas Scholarship Program provided that they took up approved courses in recognized universities (Arab News, September 21, 2016).…”

“…Self-evidently, huge efforts must be made first of all by the higher education sector if the country is to meet its target of 7% unemployment (Saudi Vision 2030, p.39), and a first important step has been taken with the launch of the reviewed foreign scholarship program described in this paper. Faithful to its long-established policy of supporting education -and higher education in particular (Pavan, 2013 andPavan, 2014) -the Saudi government is committed to closing "the gap between the outputs of higher education and the requirements of the job market". It "will also work towards developing the job specifications of every education field" (Saudi Vision 2030, p.40).…”

Information and Dialogue in the Struggle against Islamophobia: The Jeddah Declaration for a Culture of Moderation

“…Such an approach could be said to reflect the combination of aspiration and determination that is championed especially by Saudi Arabia, as explained elsewhere (Pavan, 2016, andPavan, 2014, where the tension between global aspiration and local determination in Saudi Arabia is presented). The staunch defence of traditions, values and identity is not incompatible with globalization, and the media can be powerful and effective in circulating messages of peaceful coexistence in a world of diversity, and "to promote dialogue between the Islamic culture and the world's cultures" (p.2).…”