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nomad soul · Joined: 31 Jan 2010 Posts: 11454 Location: The real world

50% cut in intake by colleges of education
Saudi Gazette | March 20, 2016
Source: http://saudigazette.com.sa/saudi-arabia/50-cut-intake-colleges-education/

RIYADH — The Ministry of Education will lower its acceptance rates at its education colleges by 50 percent in an endeavor to improve the quality of undergraduate education in the Kingdom.

Education Minister Ahmad Al-Isa said the Education Colleges Development Committee had met with deans of education colleges in the Kingdom to discuss the enhancement of the education colleges’ curricula and their quality. “The committee proposed to decrease the acceptance rate of education colleges by 50 percent in the coming academic year. I have approved the proposal and it shall be applied to both bachelor’s and diploma programs in education,” said Al-Isa.

He also said the minimum GPA to apply for colleges of education is 85 percent, or 3.75 out of 5 or 2.75 out of 4 for graduates of the preparatory year. “Applicants will go through interviews and written exams as part of the application process. These requirements are expected to be applied by all education colleges for new applicants and for transfer students,” said Al-Isa. He said students of master’s programs in social sciences must pass with a minimum of 3.75 GPA in order to obtain the degree.

“The new regulations are put in place to enhance the quality of education college graduates and future teachers in the Kingdom. There is a need in the teaching sector for qualified teachers. It is the job of the colleges of education to meet that need and it is the job of the Ministry of Education to facilitate the processes,” said Al-Isa, while adding teachers play an essential role in building society.

Public Education Evaluation Commission Deputy Governor Saleh Al-Shamrani said the new regulations conform to the commission’s criteria for acceptance at education colleges. “The new regulations will finally regulate the teaching job market. There will be less teachers graduating but the graduates will be of better quality. That way, the waiting list for graduates seeking teaching positions will shorten,” said Al-Shamrani.

(End of article)

gregory999 · Joined: 29 Jul 2015 Posts: 372 Location: 999

The question is:
What does a GPA of "3.75 over 5" in the Magic Kingdom mean or reflect in real value of education? Is a GPA of 3.75 reflects the real measure of a student's readiness for a college/university?

It is well known that the grades in schools in the Magic Kingdom are inflated.
Some teachers use grades inflation as a "carrot" method to keep students happy!

izmigari · Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2016 12:50 am Post subject:

plumpy nut · Joined: 12 Mar 2011 Posts: 1652

When in Saudi does as the Saudis do. Grossly inflating grades could be looked upon as being unethical, however the Saudis are already incapable of understanding any reasonable moral standard, so why not inflate grades and perhaps keep your job longer and the pay coming.

izmigari · Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2016 3:33 am Post subject:

Lord T · Joined: 07 Jul 2015 Posts: 285

nomad soul · Joined: 31 Jan 2010 Posts: 11454 Location: The real world

It's interesting how all Saudi students get painted with one wide brush --- with this "they're all the same and it ain't good" mentality. Hmm... If I similarly viewed some of the posters on this forum, yeah, "All expat English teachers are whiny, self-centered, and ethnocentric." Yep. I never associated my students' English language abilities with their intellectual ability to learn an academic subject. In fact, many of us have struggled with learning a foreign language and certainly didn't feel it had any bearing on our intelligence nor did we want to be negatively judged.

My Saudi prep year students studied physics, calculus, chemistry, and statistics courses in English while taking their EFL class with me. They were top students in their high schools and continued to do so at university and in my class. So yes, there are Saudis who are high achievers and put their studies first and work hard for their marks.

Since the article is about education colleges, my co-teacher was a Saudi who got her BA in KSA and later, an MA TESOL from the US. She contributed equally to our partnership --- I never doubted her abilities or commitment and considered her an asset. I also got to mentor a couple of Saudi pre-service teachers who followed through with my suggestions for teaching practice activities. They were willing to learn.

Anyway, if the standards for Saudi university students are tightened, that could mean an increase in committed learners in the foundation programs.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Saudi students are a diverse lot. I found them generally a pleasure to work with, and certainly a lot more mature than some of the students I have dealt with in Britain !

1chunk · Joined: 05 Aug 2014 Posts: 123

This will result in smaller PYPs and maybe some even closing down.

izmigari · Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2016 10:21 pm Post subject:

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

I taught in different institutions. I am one of the few survivors of that era when Government Intermediate and Secondary schools had British teachers of English. Challenging job then ; that was where I served my apprenticeship in teaching Saudi students !

Anyone else posting here who did their time with Min of Ed schools in the 1970s, before the zealots decided that teachers should all be Arabic-speaking Muslims ?

izmigari · Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2016 10:09 am Post subject:

gregory999 · Joined: 29 Jul 2015 Posts: 372 Location: 999

izmigari · Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2016 3:55 pm Post subject:

johnslat · Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2016 8:02 pm Post subject:

" . . . students coming to class with their books."

And thus, another urban myth is born/ Very Happy

Regards,
John