Shoura member says students need alternatives DAMMAM – Universities will not be able to accommodate all high school students and many will need to study at alternative education institutions, according to Dr. Ahmad Saad Aal Mufrih, Chairman of the Shoura Council's Education Committee, in a report carried by Al-Madina Arabic newspaper. “Universities have accepted 210,000 high school graduates this year.” Aal Mufrih said that the best solution for students is to search for other alternatives. He said university education is a privilege. No prestigious higher education institution can accommodate all high school graduates, Aal Mufrih said. “The percentage of high school students accepted at universities around the world ranges between 35 percent (as in Malaysia) and 65 percent (as in Finland). We should provide suitable alternatives for students, especially after the royal decisions which will see high school graduates allocated to different sectors of the Ministry of Higher Education. This will see 70 percent of high school graduates at universities, 25 percent at technical and vocational training institutes and five percent in other sectors.” These decisions reflect the government's quick response to the problems of higher education and job creation in the Kingdom, Aal Mufrih added. “I call on all parents to ensure their children focus on specializations needed by the labor market and to encourage them to study hard.” The Ministry of Education has to restructure high school programs to prepare poor-performing students for the labor market, Aal Mufrih said. “Not every high school graduate can continue his education at university and the proof of this fact is the results of the Qeyas tests.” He said the Shoura Council has discussed the issue of university education and has looked at various solutions which include expanding public and private universities, increasing the number of scholarships and providing technical and vocational training.” He said he was worried about job prospects for students, especially if the Ministry of Higher Education is pressured into raising the number of students accepted at universities. The current alternative is distance learning for those who choose or are forced to work after high school, Aal Mufrih said. “It is a good choice now that King Abdullah has approved the establishment of a Saudi e-learning university.” Aal Mufrih said that due to the early retirement of a large number of Saudi professors, there is a need to find qualified replacements from abroad.
