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This internet blog is written by EPI President Dr. Watson Scott Swail during his visit to the Middle East in April 2008. Please click on the links below to go directly to a particular section.
Introduction
Part I: Getting From Here to There
Part II: Enter the Kingdom
Introduction
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA — This Friday afternoon finds me in
the Saudi Arabian capital city of Riyadh,
a city of approximately 7 million people in the middle of one of the largest
deserts and oil deposits in the world. Today is a moderate day of approximately
36 Celsius (95F)… and this isn’t the hot season yet, which average in the low
40s (around 110F) during June to August.
I am here on behalf of my organization, the Educational
Policy Institute, which was awarded a contract by the US-based AMIDEAST organization, in partnership with the
Saudi-based King
Faisal Foundation (KFF), to evaluate the University Preparatory Program (UPP) at Al Faisal University. The UPP was
created in 2007 to identify and prepare talented high school graduates in the
Kingdom (as it is called) for matriculation to Al Faisal University and other
esteemed universities around the world.
I thought it might be interesting, perhaps mostly for me and
less so for readers, to detail my experiences in a nation that is little known
in North America, with the exception of an old, old movie and occasional news
pieces. Saudi Arabia has been a fairly closed society since 1932, when the
current configuration of the country was established. Thus, insider looks have
been few and far between. Starting today, I will be filing occasional updates
to this piece over the next 10 days, so please stay tuned. The blog will serve
as part travelogue and part description of the experiences with students,
faculty, and instructors at the UPP.
Part One – Getting There to Here
There are further places to travel to in this world, but
Riyadh is pretty far for my experience. It starts simple enough: a 30-minute
flight from Norfolk to Washington-Dulles Airport to catch my 12-hr flight to
Kuwait. In this case, because of delays in Norfolk, I had just enough time to
catch the United flight to Kuwait at 9:45pm. Nothing like that comforting
notion of making your flight and believing that your luggage didn’t. That would
only be so bad if my first meeting wasn’t upon arrival at the airport…
I luckily was able to upgrade, so I can’t complain too much
about the flight. I remain thankful I was able to sleep; 12 hours is a long
time in any tin can. Not quite disconcerting, but certainly of notice is flying
over Baghdad. Not that I could see anything, but knowing that much is happening
31,000 feet below makes this seem like anything but a normal flight.
I spoke with a US-army serviceman in Norfolk and then again
at Dulles who had done more of his share of tours in the Gulf, starting back in
1990. He spoke mainly about Afghanistan, which he said was once a beautiful,
lush country before the “wars.” Now it has “no color” and is “dismal and sad,”
according to his account. He had had the opportunity to visit several schools
over the years, and said it was heartbreaking to see the conditions that Afghan
children had to endure to learn, if what they were doing was actually learning.
He said that he kicks his kids’ collective butts in if they start complaining
about school. His comments reminded my of the presentation by best-selling
author Greg Mortenson at Old Dominion University last November. Mortenson
detailed his chronicles building schools for girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan
in the book Three Cups of Tea.
I
landed in Kuwait early on Monday evening. Not much to see in the airport, but the
first thing I noticed coming out of the jet way was --- McDonalds and Taco
Bell. No joke, I even had to snap the shot below of Ronald McDonald greeting
us. And in my head I can hear that Disney song, “It’s a small world after all.”
The reality is, these US products are ubiquitous around the world now. I found
the same thing in Prague during my original travels there in 2002, and I am
currently sitting in a Seattle’s Best Coffee in Riyadh next to my hotel. In
fact, I can walk 30 seconds out the door in one direction to the Starbucks or
30 seconds in the opposite direction to the Dunkin Donuts. On the other side of
the hotel is KFC next to, yes, a Taco Bell, with Applebee’s Chili’s, and
TGIFridays just down the way.
I
was picked up at the Riyadh airport on Monday night by John Aydelott, the
Director of the UPP. A Tennessean by birth and education (and former opera
singer), John has lived in the Middle East for over 30 years. John and I drove
in from the airport and had dinner at the Hotel Al Khozama, a nice
accommodation in Riyadh owned by the King Faisal Foundation, as are many of the
buildings around it, including the state-of-the-art Faisaliah Tower (see
photo). I believe we are having dinner there tomorrow night. Over dinner, at an
outside restaurant at the hotel (the weather in the evening is quite
comfortable), John was able to provide me with an idea of education in Saudi
Arabia and also the UPP.
The Program
This research project originated relatively quickly. Don
Heller at Penn State suggested to AMIDEAST that EPI might be a good fit for
this work, with our background in transition programs and also a solid understanding
of international education issues. Within 24 hours, we had a proposal on their
desk, and shortly thereafter a signed contract (not without its challenges, of
course; contracts are never that seamless). Although we were finalized, we had
to pass the scrutiny of the funder, the King Faisal Foundation, and also get
our Visas processed. Less than a month after the contract is signed, I’m on a
plane to Riyadh to be followed by our Vice President, Alex Usher, who arrives
tonight.
The UPP program was inaugurated in Fall 2007 with its first
entering class of high school graduates. The UPP is designed to prepare students for the high-level studies at Al Faisal University, a new (opening in Fall 2008), private university in Riyadh. Private universities are a relatively new concept in the area, and is also charging tuition of 96,000 Riyals/year, or about US $25,000. This is big coin in Saudi Arabia; a land of immense wealth and great poverty, side-by-side.
Al Faisal is designed to be the "MIT" of Saudi Arabia, although the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), a brand-new, also yet-to-be-opened university north of the city of Jeddah on the Red Sea, is also laying some claim to that title. But Al Faisal also understands that it needs to prop up the nation's students for such high-level learning. Enter the UPP.
The UPP is, effectively, a one-year academic bridge program between high school and matriculation to Al Faisal University to bring students up in their English-language learning and also support a greater utility of mathematics and science. Without such support many students, especially Saudis, would not be able to succeed at the level anticipated at Al Faisal University. Thus, the UPP program, as is the university, is part of a grand social, if not economic, experiment to change the way higher education works in the Kingdom. The Saudi public education system is not known for its academic prowess. In fact, the public system provides most of its coursework in Islamic studies, with very little emphasis on mathematics and science. As anticipated, the studies are in Arabic, with limited cultivation of English. Private schools provide more opportunities, including studies in English, but they are available only to those who have the finances to afford private schools, just like in most other countries.
King Adbullah and other members of the Royal Family have come to understand that the future of the Kingdom depends on its ability to diversify from the oil business into other global issues. And to do that requires a highly-educated citizenry, one that can learn in English-speaking universities to be able to participate in the global economy. Thus, again, comes Al Faisal University and the UPP.
UPP began in September 2007 and has 91 students in its inaugural run, who will graduate late spring. Twenty-four instructors from around the world, most from the US and Canada, provide instruction in English, mathematics, and science, with additional focus on business application for those in the business section of the program.
The program is divided into three areas, or "pathways," which include medicine, engineering, and business. Within those areas, students are divided by their academic and English profiency into appropriate levels.
April 10, 2008
Part Two: Enter the Kingdom
Visitors quickly note that Saudi Arabia is a different kind of place. Take a land with a nomadic history, spanning a large geographic area of hot, dry desert, with the occasional oasis of lush green pasture, bookended by the Red and Persian seas. The coastal city of Jeddah, not too far from Mecca, is the vacation place for many Saudis, sitting on the coast of the Red. But Riyadh itself is a very large city that can occasionally be a dustbowl. For instance, one evening I decided to go for a walk and have a quite dinner, but had to turn around due to the dust in the wind (please cue “Kansas,” Mr. DJ).
The 2004 census says Riyadh has 5 million people; locals say 7 million. Regardless, the forecast for 2020 is 9 million plus. That’s a lot of people, especially when the automobile is the only true mode of transport. There is no mass transit to speak of, so the roads matter greatly. All in all, the roadwork is good, but beware the drivers, especially the 12-year olds… more on that later.
The biggest difference of Saudi versus the US, Canada, or any other western city is the culture. From the moment of wheels down at Riyadh King Khaled International Airport, one can’t help but feel the penetrating culture. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam, where Muslims from around the world congregate at Mecca for their Hajj, or once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage. In fact, the King of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah, is referred to as the “Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques” (Mecca and Madinah).
A basic tenet of Islam is the five-a-day prayers, which occur in the early morning, noon, mid-afternoon, early evening, and late evening, all of which depend on the location of the sun, so they do move around a bit. During my stay, the morning prayer call occurred at 4:15am each morning. This is when the muezzin (prayer callers) would climb up into their Minarets (tall towers) and call for the prayer, with loudspeakers to boost their collective voices. It was, indeed, a wake-up call.
Because the Muslim population is so large, there are over 4,500 mosques in Riyadh to provide places of worship for the millions of Muslims. My comrade Alex Usher noted on his flight from London that the Saudi airlines’ computer map display always pointed the way to Mecca, because Muslims must face Mecca in their prayers.
The five-a-day prayers can be a burden to westerners: shops will quickly close up, shutting you in or out, depending on the type of shop. It can be a frustration if you are trying to get something done, but one quickly works around it and it becomes a lesser issue very quickly. Most westerners, if in conversation, will keep on in their conversation and not really pay attention (but not in a rude way). Devout followers will actually continue in conversation and then take their leave at an appropriate time, as long as they get their prayer in. Even at the UPP school, a prayer location was set up in the lunch room, allowing the students and Muslim staff to pray after lunch.
There are some other key differences in the western and Saudi cultures, but almost all have a link to the Islamic faith. For instance, there is no alcohol allowed in Saudi Arabia, nor drugs. On the customs form that must be completed to enter the country is a warning in large red letters: “The punishment for drugs is death.” I’m thinking there isn’t a huge drug problem in Saudi Arabia. As one who likes a glass of wine with dinner, and perhaps a few beers here and there, it takes a bit of getting used to. But this is the way of the Kingdom and it isn’t worth messing with. Of course, there is a black market. Ex Pats (Ex-Patriots from western countries) have ways of getting alcohol, drugs, and women, I was told, but in a place like Saudi Arabia, why bother? It isn’t a country where a westerner wants to test “Allah” in any possible way. But many of those who live there, do, at great risk and peril to them, their families, and sometimes their organizations. Apparently the US compound outside of Riyadh makes their own wine and has other opportunities to imbibe, but then again, they have special rules because the soil of a US compound is considered US territory.
Westerners must also get used to the gender differences. Women are not allowed to drive, may not be alone in public or be seen with another man other than their husband or close relative in public, and basically aren’t supported to work. While over half of postsecondary students in Saudi Arabia are women, but only 7 percent are present in the workforce. For those who complain about the simply awful driving in Riyadh, they only have men to blame. In fact, we were told that, although there is an age restriction of 17 to drive, youth as young as 9 can be found cruising around the streets of Riyadh, sometimes in their Mercedes or BMWs, but Toyotas are the car of choice (they can better withstand the heat). As one colleague attested: “they drive like they’re racing on PlayStation, but don’t understand that they there is no ‘reset’ button in life.” And they do crash a lot, with an extraordinarily high fatality rate.
Women must be clothed in their black abayas, which are a light-weight black dress covering all skin from head to toe. The only skin you may see is around the eyes, the hands, and perhaps the feet, but because most people where sunglasses, you often see almost nothing. Young girls do not have to wear an abaya, but it must be donned once adolescence is reached. Not all abayas are equal; some are a little nicer than others, which may be another way of showing wealth.
While you see women in the shopping malls, one takes special care not to focus on them, and not make excessive, if any, eye contact (since that is all you can generally see). After a while, I found you just didn’t notice women much. They seem to dissolve from view. I found it somewhat humorous that the Faisaliya Mall, which is as upscale as a Galleria in the US, was loaded with Saudi women shopping for women’s clothing, gawking and checking out the most colorful, high-end name brands money can buy. A westerner, wonders: “what’s the point? They just cover it with their abayas.” The truth is, behind closed doors, the women are known for wearing beautiful clothing; but us westerners never get to see it.
But get out of the public sphere and different picture emerges. There are offices where women and men work side-by-side and in which women work not only with heads uncovered but without abayas. At the more exclusive restaurants, out of sight of the Muttawa (the religious police who enforce codes of dress and behaviour in the Kingdom), we noticed that Saudi women seem free to uncover their heads an head gear down and smoke cigarettes. Things are changing, albeit slowly.
Visa-Vis?
One must remember that no one can just enter Saudi Arabia. You must be invited. Visas are very difficult to come by. Once you leave the Kingdom, don’t expect to go back unless you are similarly invited again. This is a very closed society. As author John Bradley stated in his book “Saudi Arabia Exposed,”
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, so extraordinarily introverted and completely closed to outsiders, is perhaps the world’s last great, forbidden country. For most Westerners, it exists only in the realm of the imagination, with images feeding off tales of both the exotic and the violent: Oriental clichés of the sensuous, secretive, and tempting East that have, somewhat incongruously, combined with the continuous clamor and bang of the “war-on-terror” rhetoric in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks.” (SOURCE: Bradley, John, (2005). "Saudi Arabia Exposed", p. xi)
A big hurdle to get over in Saudi Arabia is finding something to do in your free time. You can shop. And you can eat. There isn’t much to see in Riyadh, athough one can now see majestic, modern buildings with many more to come. The Kingdom Tower (below) is an architectural wonder, with a Saks Fifth Avenue at its base and all the shops and most of the restaurants one comes to expect in America. The Saudi food is wonderful, and if that isn’t your type of thing, there are lots of options, including Mexican, Italian, Japanese… and more. Food-wise, it is a very cosmopolitan city.
If you do go to a restaurant, note that there are two eating sections: the family section and the regular section. Even the Starbucks had two areas, and even two entrances. The family section is restricted for Saudi families, while the “singles section” is for male singles. Two Saudi women would go in the family section (since there never is “one” Saudi woman) for Saudis only. Of course, this gets somewhat confusing (click here for more info). Of course, there is golfing and bowling and things like that, but don’t expect to go to the movies. Cinema is not allowed in the Kingdom, but the hotel has numerous American channels and much of the population has satellite TV.
Although things are different, from a western perspective, one should not think it isn’t a friendly place. It is. The people were very welcoming and hospitable. There was always tea or coffee brought with a smile, and people are extremely polite and courteous. In line with the temperature, Saudi people were very warming.
* * * * *
See Part III next week: The Saudi Education System.
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