A PUBLIC POLICY- MAKING PERSPECTIVE FOR THE EDUCATIONAL POLICY IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA

The objective of this study is to discuss a public policymaking
perspective for the educational policy in the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, using the system model. Policymaking
studies produce useful information for decision
makers in achieving various goals related to the growth and
development of a nation and its citizens. Saudi Arabia has
followed strictly the Islamic view of education, which is
reflected in the content of the educational policy that was
approved in 1969. However, as time passed by, the country
has faced a dilemma of meeting the scientific and
technological changes demanded by the modern period to
achieve the goals and programs of its development, while at
the same time maintaining the cultural and Islamic
integrity. Social, economic, demographic, geographic,
political, international environment, and educational
concepts and views were factors that have put a lot of
pressure on policy makers. Since the educational policy has
not been changed and it is still in effect, policy-makers
have solved this dilemma by infusing the modern demands
into the implementation stage of the policy. Islamic and
Arabian culture are still emphasized in all levels of the
educational system, but they are compartmentalized as one
group, among many subjects taught in the modern
educational system around the globe. A summary of the
system model for the educational policy is illustrated in the
study. The researcher recommends that it is time for policymakers
to revise the Educational Policy to keep-up with the
needs of the present and future modern life and to achieve
the objectives of the development of the country especially
the objectives of Vision 2030.