Saudi Arabia needs a paradigm shift in higher education

Saudi Arabia needs a paradigm shift in higher education

The higher education sector in Saudi Arabia has already made its mark in the Arab world, with 15 universities in the Kingdom earning a place in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2022, including five in the top 400.

This distinction is an outcome of the consistent efforts to develop this sector in recent years, including the provision of foreign scholarship opportunities, improvements in teaching and research standards, and the establishment of modern infrastructure.

Thanks to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030, the Kingdom is undergoing major socioeconomic reforms to meet the growing aspirations for a better life among the youth that form the bulk of the country’s population. This calls for an education system that contributes to economic growth by facilitating a “transition between different educational pathways,” and closing “the gap between the outputs of higher education and the requirements of the job market.”

To achieve these objectives, a paradigm shift is needed in the Saudi higher education sector, as its current profile is restricted to offering quality education in STEM — science, technology, engineering, math.

Liberal arts education provides the answer. This mode of learning has enabled American universities, especially in the Ivy League, to sustain global leadership and hence