Saleh Al-Zahrani Okaz/Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — Academic experts here are of the opinion that poor English and lack of adequate computer skills among most university graduates are the reasons behind 50 percent of graduates remaining unemployed. The experts hold the Ministry of Education responsible for this dilemma that is affecting approximately a million unemployed university graduates. Saad Al-Qarni, a human resources manager, said that the level of English and computer skills of university graduates is regrettably poor. “Very few of them understood the importance of these two skills early on and attended training courses, or traveled abroad for this purpose,” he said. Criticizing lack of English and computer classes in elementary schools, Al-Qarni blames the Ministry of Education for yielding to pressure from small fundamentalist groups who had objected to the teaching of English in elementary schools for the purpose of preserving the Arabic language. Abdulrahman Al-Ali, an economist, said that the teaching methods that rely on students evaluations instead of written exams is behind the poor education level. He added that illiteracy now is high in English and computer skills at these institutions. The Ministry of Labor and businesses should alert the educational authorities to this fact. There is a great difference in the salaries of those who have developed their English and computer knowledge, and those who have not, he added. Fayez Al-Salalmi, a human resources development expert, said that English and computers should be taught in elementary schools. He also called upon businessmen to develop Saudi graduates by enrolling them in training courses. He claims that 70 percent of the expatriates currently employed in the Kingdom are secondary school graduates and are provided on-the-job training by their employers. According to the Minister of Labor, there are 1.2 million Saudis employed in the private sector. Expatriates number 6 million in the private sector, and 30 percent of them are employed in the retail sector that does not require high qualifications.
