Job Discussion Forums

[nomad soul]

Private schools to pay more attention to teaching English
By Afshan Aziz, Arab News | 20 March 2014
Source: http://www.arabnews.com/news/543056

JEDDAH---Several private schools in the Kingdom will be teaching English along with Arabic and Islamic Studies to Saudi and Arab students in order to prepare students for higher education. According to school officials, three in 10 students leave school with basic English skills and the rest are tasked with taking English courses in order to be able to continue their higher education abroad.

Al-Baraem Private School in Jeddah has begun offering the American diploma course in an effort to keep up with other international schools. "The course has been designed to teach English to students from elementary to high school,” said Huda Farooqi, the school’s director. “Moreover, we have appointed teachers who are native or frequent English speakers in the American diploma section so they communicate with students only in English. Our aim is to provide an international education of the highest standard and to facilitate the entry of students into world-class universities across the globe. The language issue has been a major concern for many parents,” she said. “It is important to balance the Arabic and English curricula. Schools should consider Arabic-language classes so students can grasp the fundamentals, but these classes should always be accompanied by English.”

Many other private schools have introduced English courses in their curriculum. The majority of schools have launched this program exclusively for Saudi students. "This is a much-needed initiative since most international schools do not accept Saudi students,” Omar Abdullah, a student counselor, told Arab News. “It is imperative for Arabic language students to be bilingual in order to make it in today’s world.”

“This initiative from schools should be encouraged by parents and students,” said Hanan Baham, an English teacher. “It is necessary for students to have a basic understanding of English to meet admission requirements for the degrees they want to pursue.”

(End of article)

[LPKSA]

Dubai has been doing this for some time, and since the economic' downturn, many teachers have been headed there to work in their elementary/primary school system as English teachers. It has become so competitive to land these kinds of positions that they now require applicants to hold government certification from their home state/country which permits them to teach in the elementary/public school systems therein. An MA in English or TESOL doesn't match up to the state/country certification, from what I have gathered through reading these listings and talking with others in the field.

I wonder if this will be the case here in KSA within the next five to ten years.

[veiledsentiments]

It has always been true in the UAE and Oman that the English of the students that came from the private "international" schools was superior to the students from the public schools. ADEC is trying to change that in Abu Dhabi, but I haven't heard much about it being done in Dubai (probably letting AD do the experiment). All the discussion here has been about Abu Dhabi positions - through recruiters like TeachAway.

The better International Schools have always tended to require teachers to be certified from their home countries, but it has been a new requirement for public school teachers... and thus far only Abu Dhabi seems to be doing it.

I don't believe Oman or the other Emirates are requiring it. Although the new attempt in the UAE to get rid of Foundations programs suggests that it will need to spread around the country soon.

If it works, the KSA will probably attempt the same changes.

VS

[SENTINEL33]

[veiledsentiments]

A similar thing happens at both ends of that scale - professors and licensed US teachers. It tends to be older individuals who have retired early or left the field back home for whatever reason (perhaps because they realize that they will never achieve tenure - or be able to save on US public school salaries). They come to the Gulf for a few years to pad their retirement funds. They come at a point where tenure or US rules are irrelevant to them.

Nothing wrong with that... very sensible actually. And ADEC has hired lots of US teachers over the last few years. The professors are all up and down the Gulf.

VS

[plumpy nut]

[veiledsentiments]

I agree Plumpy... I can't see that they could possibly get enough teachers, even if they significantly raised the pay in the public schools.

VS