Country Overview: Saudi Arabia
The Arabian Peninsula on which Saudi Arabia is situated is the historic origin of Islam. After conquering the Hijaz kingdom in 1926, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was established in 1932, when the Hijaz and the Nejd were joined into one state under King Ibn Saud. Saudi Arabia has a geopolitically strategic location, as well as an incredibly vast oil supply which funds its state economy. The original Royal Family of Saud has ruled Saudi Arabia since 1932, whose government remains primarily an absolute monarchy. The Arab Spring protests had little effect on this situation, as censorship and political arrests quieted the efforts; however, former King Abdullah created a huge citizen benefits package in response to aid loan repayment and offset inflation. Protests are banned, and Saudi Arabia remains a monarchy led by King Salman.
Saudi Arabia’s total population is about 27.3 million people. The population is roughly 27.6 percent under age fifteen, 19.3 percent between ages fifteen and twenty-five, 45.4 percent between ages twenty-five and fifty-four, and 7.7 percent over age fifty-four (CIA World Factbook). Saudi Arabia’s GDP per capita in 2012 was 25,136 USD, which is much higher than both Egypt and Syria due to Saudi Arabia’s vast oil reserves and rentier state status (UIS). Between 85 and 90 percent of Saudis are Sunni Muslim, with the rest being Shia Muslim or other minority religions; however having a religion other than Sunni Islam is prohibited by law, and non-Muslims cannot obtain Saudi citizenship (CIA World Factbook).
Public education did not exist in Saudi Arabia until the 1930s. Before 1925, there were only four private schools in existence within the nation. King Ibn Saud began instituting education programs designed to “observe the teachings of Islam, disseminate knowledge, and construct schools” (Paquette 1167). In fact, Saudi Arabia’s first education system was modeled after Egypt’s (Paquette 1167). In the 1930s, the first public and private primary schools were established; in 1935 the first secondary school was built. Later in the 1930s, a General Directorate of Education was instituted and tertiary level schools followed in the 1940s and 1950s. However, in 1952, the United Nations reported that illiteracy was between 92 and 95 percent. The creation of a Ministry of Education, led by Prince Fahd, divided Saudi Arabia into school districts and began programs to lower adult illiteracy. Education became compulsory for six years. In 1961, the General Directorate of Girls’ Education was created and women’s schooling was mandated, and later in the 1960s Saudi education developed to allow 50 percent of students to continue to secondary and tertiary education, and the other half to certificate programs for teaching, vocational, and technical skills (Paquette 1167).
All education in Saudi Arabia has a distinctly Islamic influence. A result of this is that men and women have separate schools. All curricula are centered on the Quran; its memorization and application are required. Because of the state’s vast oil funds, “[e]ducation is free but not compulsory beyond the elementary level. The government provides free tuition, stipends, subsidies, and bonuses to students entering certain fields of study and to those continuing their education outside the country. Free transportation is provided for female students” (Paquette 1168).
In 2001, there were 11,506 primary schools in Saudi Arabia, and six years of formal schooling are compulsory (Paquette 1166). The female enrollment rate declines with level of education, with 75 percent enrolled in primary, 54 percent in secondary, and only 15 percent enrolled in tertiary education (Paquette 1166). The literacy rate of the general population is estimated at 94.7 percent, though this rate is only 91.1 percent for females (CIA World Factbook). In 2008 the Saudi government spent 5.1 percent of its GDP on education (CIA World Factbook). This represented about 17.7 percent of total government expenditure for the same year (UIS).