نستحضر اليوم كلمة الملك فيصل -رحمه الله- في حفل افتتاح كلية البترول والمعادن أوائل الستينيات الميلادية -أصبحت جامعة لاحقاً- مع هذه الاحتفالات الكبيرة التي تقوم بها الجامعات والكليات المدنية والعسكرية السعودية -البالغ عددها 72- بأبنائها وبناتها الخريجين، لنفهم لماذا استثمر السعوديون في التعليم مبكراً، وكيف أثر ذلك التعليم في نهضة السعودية اليوم.
بدأت كلية البترول والمعادن بخطاب شهير للملك فيصل، جاء فيه: «أيها الإخوان كان هذا المعهد حلماً من أحلامنا قبل عدة سنوات، حيث كنا ننظر إلى ما حولنا، فنجد أنفسنا صامتين مبهورين ليس في إمكاننا أن نجاري غيرنا، أو نقارع الأمم الأخرى، في سبيل النهضة والحياة، ولكن الله سبحانه وتعالى سهّل السبيل ومهّد الصعاب التي تعترض الطريق، فوُجد هذا المعهد في فترة لا تتجاوز السنتين، وفي اعتقادي أن هذه فترة قياسية، أن ننظر إلى ما كنا عليه قبل سنتين، وما نحن عليه الآن».
لقد كانت فكرة عبقرية وتحدياً كبيراً في الوقت نفسه، أمام سبع شركات أمريكية تسيطر ليس على صناعة النفط فقط، بل وتستحوذ على المعرفة والتكنولوجيا التي لا يمتلكها أحد في العالم في ذلك الحين، لكن أثرها العميق ظهر لاحقاً بعدما استحوذ السعوديون على صناعة النفط في بلادهم، فإذا هم يسيرون الصناعة بأكفأ مما كانت، ولم يحدث في إمدادات الطاقة أي أثر يذكر، ولا تزال العقول السعودية تدير هذه الصناعة وتؤثر في مسارها في الأسواق العالمية.
كان الهدف هو بناء كوادر سعودية موازية وقادرة على حمل مسؤولية إنتاج البترول في مرحلة مبكرة من تاريخه، وفي وقت كانت الشركات الأجنبية مسيطرة على إنتاج النفط في العالم العربي، وبالرغم من أن السواد الأعظم من البلدان العربية كانت تعاني من سيطرة وهيمنة الشركات الأجنبية على نفطها، إلا أنها لم تذهب نحو توطين الصناعة البترولية إلا في مراحل متأخرة على عكس السعوديين، واكتفى البعض منهم بإطلاق الشعارات الشعبوية بتأميم النفط، إلا أن القيادة الراشدة في المملكة العربية السعودية أخذت قراراً مختلفاً ومتدرجاً نحو بناء كوادرها الوطنية ثم الاستحواذ على الصناعة النفطية في داخل المملكة بالكامل.
قامت السعودية أولاً بتعليم أبنائها معرفة صناعة البترول من رحلة الإنتاج إلى التصدير وانتهاء بالبيع في الأسواق العالمية، نعم لقد تعمدت الشركات الغربية تغييب الجميع عن سر الصناعة، فكانت هي التي تكتشف وتستخرج وتكرر وتحمل وتسير الناقلات وتبيع، ثم تأتي إلى الدول النفطية وتعطيها الفتات، إلا في المملكة التي دفعت بأبنائها في وقت مبكر لفهم سر الصناعة وتولي أمرها حتى وصلت ملكية الدولة السعودية في شركات النفط إلى 100٪، مع كوادر سعودية متعلمة ومنتشرة ومسيطرة على كل قطاعات النفط والمعادن في المملكة.
الدول التي انساقت وراء موجة التأميم الشعبوية دفعت الثمن غالياً.. نعم سيطرت على نفطها ولكن بدون العلم اللازم وبدون طواقم وطنية على الأرض، ما أدى إلى تدهور وضعها البترولي، ثم قامت بعد ذلك باستبدال الشركات الغربية بشركات أخرى سوفيتية أو حتى غربية دون بنية تحتية معرفية وعلميّة ولا كوادر وطنية.
ما يلفت الانتباه أن أول دفعة من طلاب كلية البترول والثروة المعدنية السعودية، البالغ عددهم 67 طالباً، ضمت أيضاً طلاباً عرباً، كان منهم جزائريون، جاء ذلك من موقف عروبي أصيل تبنته المملكة تجاه محيطها العربي، خاصة من الدول التي أرادت الاستفادة من التجربة السعودية.
الاحتضان السعودي للطلاب العرب جاء بالرغم من إمكانات المملكة المحدودة حينها كدولة ناشئة، وبالرغم من الحملات المسمومة التي كانت ولا تزال توجه للسعوديين منذ الستينيات وحتى اليوم.
الجزائريون -مثلاً- الذين كانوا وقتها في أولى مراحل التخارج من المستعمر الفرنسي، استقبلت السعودية 15 طالباً منهم في كليتها للبترول والمعادن ليصبحوا في ما بعد نواة صناعة النفط الجزائرية، بل إن سفير الجزائر في المملكة وهو السيد محمد يكن الغسيري كان حاضراً في الحفل، بجانب الشيخ عيسى بن سلمان أمير دولة البحرين الشقيقة -المملكة لاحقاً-، والشيخ خليفة بن حمد أمير دولة قطر.
بالرغم من إمكانات السعودية المحدودة حينها -الخمسينيات والستينيات الميلادية- فقد شاركت إخوانها العرب الأحلام والإمكانات والمعرفة ولقمة العيش، وخاصة تعلم صناعة البترول، أهم صناعة في تاريخ البشرية، وهو الأمر نفسه الذي تقوم به السعودية حتى اليوم -بعدما تعاظمت إمكاناتها- مع أشقائها السوريين والسودانيين والفلسطينيين وغيرهم الكثير، بالدعم والمساندة ونقل المعرفة.
تابع قناة عكاظ على الواتساب
We recall today the words of King Faisal - may God have mercy on him - at the opening ceremony of the College of Petroleum and Minerals in the early 1960s - which later became a university - alongside the grand celebrations being held by Saudi universities and colleges, both civil and military - totaling 72 - for their graduating sons and daughters, to understand why Saudis invested in education early on, and how that education has influenced the renaissance of Saudi Arabia today.
The College of Petroleum and Minerals began with a famous speech by King Faisal, in which he said: "O brothers, this institute was a dream of ours several years ago, as we looked around us and found ourselves silent and amazed, unable to compete with others or challenge other nations in the pursuit of progress and life. But God Almighty made the way easy and paved the difficulties that obstruct the path, so this institute was established in a period not exceeding two years, and I believe this is a record period, when we look at what we were two years ago and what we are now."
It was a brilliant idea and a significant challenge at the same time, facing seven American companies that not only dominated the oil industry but also possessed knowledge and technology that no one else in the world had at that time. However, its profound impact became evident later when Saudis took over the oil industry in their country, managing the industry more efficiently than it had been before, with no significant impact on energy supplies, and Saudi minds continue to manage this industry and influence its trajectory in global markets.
The goal was to build parallel Saudi cadres capable of taking on the responsibility of oil production at an early stage in its history, at a time when foreign companies dominated oil production in the Arab world. Despite the fact that the vast majority of Arab countries were suffering from the control and dominance of foreign companies over their oil, they did not move towards localizing the oil industry until much later, unlike the Saudis, some of whom were content with launching populist slogans about nationalizing oil. However, the wise leadership in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia made a different and gradual decision to build its national cadres and then take over the oil industry entirely within the Kingdom.
Saudi Arabia first educated its children about the oil industry, from the production journey to export and finally selling in global markets. Yes, Western companies deliberately kept everyone in the dark about the secrets of the industry; they were the ones who discovered, extracted, refined, transported, and sold, then came to oil-producing countries and gave them the crumbs. Except in the Kingdom, which pushed its children early on to understand the secrets of the industry and take charge, until Saudi state ownership in oil companies reached 100%, with educated Saudi cadres spread and controlling all sectors of oil and minerals in the Kingdom.
Countries that followed the wave of populist nationalization paid a heavy price. Yes, they gained control over their oil, but without the necessary knowledge and without national teams on the ground, which led to a deterioration of their oil situation. They later replaced Western companies with Soviet or other Western companies without a knowledge-based infrastructure or national cadres.
What is noteworthy is that the first batch of students from the Saudi College of Petroleum and Minerals, numbering 67 students, also included Arab students, among them Algerians. This came from a genuine Arab stance adopted by the Kingdom towards its Arab surroundings, especially from countries that wanted to benefit from the Saudi experience.
The Saudi embrace of Arab students came despite the Kingdom's limited resources at that time as an emerging state, and despite the poisoned campaigns that have been and still are directed at Saudis since the 1960s until today.
Algerians - for example - who were at that time in the early stages of exiting French colonialism, had 15 students welcomed by Saudi Arabia in its College of Petroleum and Minerals, who later became the nucleus of the Algerian oil industry. In fact, the Algerian ambassador to the Kingdom, Mr. Mohamed Yekn Al-Ghasiri, was present at the ceremony, alongside Sheikh Isa bin Salman, the Emir of the sisterly Kingdom of Bahrain - later the Kingdom - and Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad, the Emir of the State of Qatar.
Despite Saudi Arabia's limited resources at that time - in the 1950s and 1960s - it shared with its Arab brothers dreams, capabilities, knowledge, and a livelihood, especially in learning the oil industry, the most important industry in human history. This is the same thing that Saudi Arabia continues to do today - after its capabilities have grown - with its Syrian, Sudanese, Palestinian, and many other brothers, through support, assistance, and knowledge transfer.
The College of Petroleum and Minerals began with a famous speech by King Faisal, in which he said: "O brothers, this institute was a dream of ours several years ago, as we looked around us and found ourselves silent and amazed, unable to compete with others or challenge other nations in the pursuit of progress and life. But God Almighty made the way easy and paved the difficulties that obstruct the path, so this institute was established in a period not exceeding two years, and I believe this is a record period, when we look at what we were two years ago and what we are now."
It was a brilliant idea and a significant challenge at the same time, facing seven American companies that not only dominated the oil industry but also possessed knowledge and technology that no one else in the world had at that time. However, its profound impact became evident later when Saudis took over the oil industry in their country, managing the industry more efficiently than it had been before, with no significant impact on energy supplies, and Saudi minds continue to manage this industry and influence its trajectory in global markets.
The goal was to build parallel Saudi cadres capable of taking on the responsibility of oil production at an early stage in its history, at a time when foreign companies dominated oil production in the Arab world. Despite the fact that the vast majority of Arab countries were suffering from the control and dominance of foreign companies over their oil, they did not move towards localizing the oil industry until much later, unlike the Saudis, some of whom were content with launching populist slogans about nationalizing oil. However, the wise leadership in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia made a different and gradual decision to build its national cadres and then take over the oil industry entirely within the Kingdom.
Saudi Arabia first educated its children about the oil industry, from the production journey to export and finally selling in global markets. Yes, Western companies deliberately kept everyone in the dark about the secrets of the industry; they were the ones who discovered, extracted, refined, transported, and sold, then came to oil-producing countries and gave them the crumbs. Except in the Kingdom, which pushed its children early on to understand the secrets of the industry and take charge, until Saudi state ownership in oil companies reached 100%, with educated Saudi cadres spread and controlling all sectors of oil and minerals in the Kingdom.
Countries that followed the wave of populist nationalization paid a heavy price. Yes, they gained control over their oil, but without the necessary knowledge and without national teams on the ground, which led to a deterioration of their oil situation. They later replaced Western companies with Soviet or other Western companies without a knowledge-based infrastructure or national cadres.
What is noteworthy is that the first batch of students from the Saudi College of Petroleum and Minerals, numbering 67 students, also included Arab students, among them Algerians. This came from a genuine Arab stance adopted by the Kingdom towards its Arab surroundings, especially from countries that wanted to benefit from the Saudi experience.
The Saudi embrace of Arab students came despite the Kingdom's limited resources at that time as an emerging state, and despite the poisoned campaigns that have been and still are directed at Saudis since the 1960s until today.
Algerians - for example - who were at that time in the early stages of exiting French colonialism, had 15 students welcomed by Saudi Arabia in its College of Petroleum and Minerals, who later became the nucleus of the Algerian oil industry. In fact, the Algerian ambassador to the Kingdom, Mr. Mohamed Yekn Al-Ghasiri, was present at the ceremony, alongside Sheikh Isa bin Salman, the Emir of the sisterly Kingdom of Bahrain - later the Kingdom - and Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad, the Emir of the State of Qatar.
Despite Saudi Arabia's limited resources at that time - in the 1950s and 1960s - it shared with its Arab brothers dreams, capabilities, knowledge, and a livelihood, especially in learning the oil industry, the most important industry in human history. This is the same thing that Saudi Arabia continues to do today - after its capabilities have grown - with its Syrian, Sudanese, Palestinian, and many other brothers, through support, assistance, and knowledge transfer.
