هيكلة التعليم.. إبداع في المناهج.. تميز في المخرجات

In the era of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, the educational field witnessed a qualitative change in the structure of its educational institutions and administrations after the integration of higher education and general education into one ministry. As a result, the features of change began to emerge in line with the vision and the National Transformation Program, aligning with its data to develop the educational and pedagogical process. The most prominent features of educational growth during King Salman’s reign include the adoption of a number of qualitative initiatives aimed at raising the quality level in universities, represented in three main projects: the project for developing creativity and excellence for faculty members, supporting the establishment of centers for scientific and research excellence in universities, in addition to what is allocated for them in their budgets. The third project is contributing with universities to support scientific associations.

The education policy during the era of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques included many main targeted axes aimed at implementing comprehensive reforms in the education system in the Kingdom, whether general or higher education, in addition to technical and vocational education, through

developing educational curricula to align with the requirements of the modern age. There is a focus on enhancing creative skills and critical thinking among students, alongside traditional core subjects, and improving the quality of education by enhancing the infrastructure of schools, developing teacher efficiency, investing in digital education, equipping schools with the necessary technological tools, and promoting e-learning and distance education.

Saudi Vision 2030 has worked to increase attention to developing education in terms of curriculum, teachers, students, teaching, and schools, striving to ensure that curricula keep pace with scientific and civilizational developments; so that students are in constant contact with any scientific and cognitive developments and any new updates. This attention is reflected in the advanced results we see today from schools in the Kingdom. The Ministry of Education has launched many developmental programs and initiatives, including the national program for identifying gifted students, the national olympiad for scientific creativity, in addition to implementing an acceleration system for transitioning through the educational ladder to a higher grade, increasing classes for gifted students, and paying attention to special education and operating new centers. Vision 2030 has aimed to make the student the center of the educational process, focusing on nurturing them scientifically, without overburdening them with tasks and duties they cannot handle, leading to an increase in educational activities within the school environment, to develop the skills of all its students to meet the demands of modern life, in addition to the specialized skills for each profession that cover all professional fields for the youth generation.

To diversify knowledge sources in preparing human resources, the "Your Job and Your Scholarship" program was introduced for scholarships to prestigious universities in several advanced countries according to new regulations by contracting with several institutions and government bodies to ensure that the scholarship recipient has a guaranteed job opportunity upon their return. Since scientific research complements educational activities and is an important pillar in universities as a foundation for development and progress in all fields of science, and as it is a means to establish optimal knowledge economy concepts, the ministry has sought to enhance the role of universities in serving scientific research by developing scientific research centers within them.