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Introduction

Since 2005 the King Abdullah Foreign Scholarship Program has started in Saudi Arabia to different countries such as Canada, USA, and Britain. under the vision of preparing distinct generations, to build up good knowledge and better income. Saudis’ students who earn the scholarship and study a broad tend to maintain their language and their identity as Muslims by teaching their children in Saudi’s schools that are open under the Saudi Bureau supervision and support. Saudi’s schools have particular curriculums such as Arabic language and religion Islamic curriculums. Those curriculums are not giving in local schools of the countries listed. Thus, Saudis’ children could continue their education path once they go back to Saudi Arabia with no language obstacles or religion confusion. However, in 2010 almost 30 schools of Saudis’ where shut down suddenly without an advance notice in Britain. This action raised a conflict between Saudi students and the Cultural attaché of Saudi Arabia in the UK, to re open the schools and called it educational crime.

Case Narrative

Saudi students who seek for better education abroad have the right to ensure their children education destiny. So children attend local schools in the country where their parents choose to study in. Saudi Bureau support and encouraged students who have children to educate their children in Saudis’ schools where they can enhance the Arabic language and strength identity of Islam. This schools teach only Arabic language and Islamic curriculums that can not be taught in none Islamic countries. Also, Saudi’s schools open two days a week, which usually on the weekend. What occurred is that, in 2010 the Saudi Bureau of the Kingdome had shutdown over 30 schools of Saudi’s without any further notice. This action took a place in the media and reported to the ministry of education as a negligence decision that been taken without conceding the consequences.

Moreover, The Kingdom and Ireland were the most cities who got effected by the decision that been taken with no further warning, specially families with children who considers in elementary school. In addition, Saudi Bureau responded that we are lack of funding’s and there is no need to have Saudis’ schools as long they attend local schools in the same city. The Saudi’s school would be considered as an addition education and families can offer that in home rather than school. However, families were concern about their children to be educated in schools where they teach Arabic and Islamic curriculums to gain the advantage of being surrounding by Arabic community, which strength the Saudi national identity in Islamic life model. Families were worried about their children to lose their identity as an Arabic Muslim when they finally have to go back to Saudi Arabia and their children will straggle and be unable to speak or understand Arabic, specially when they have to attend local schools in Saudi Arabia where the spoken language is only an Arabic language. Children’s parents said that their children make a great progress and balance when they go to Saudi’s school beside the regular school in the kingdom. Also, they mentioned that in the kingdom’s schools’ children do not get a certificate regard to the level they finish until high school, which confused schools in Saudi Arabia when they do not know which level the childe should be placed in.

Legal Concept

Since the Saudi Arabia has started the scholarship program, they guaranteed to educate and meet students need and their families. Whereas, duty of care is an essential policy in education, Saudi Bureau of the Kingdom had breach the duty of care when they closed over 30 schools for Saudis’ that located in the Kingdom and Ireland without an advance warning for Saudis’ families. as a consequence, most of the families and their children had a massive negative influence, where some have to cancel their scholarship and loss the opportunity of getting the benefits of studying abroad. even more, children who stay there losses the chance of learning better about their culture and religion.

Analysis of Legal Issues

Saudi students claimed the case to the ministry of education demanding to reopen the schools and called it an educational crime for those reasons.

First, most of the students who attended Saudi’s school are grade one to four. In this school’s teachers seek to assist those children to teach them hoe to write and read in Arabic language. As a result, children will be able to deal with other Saudi’s children who are native in Arabic in Saudi Arabia, without facing language barrier. Basically because those children adopt the English language so fast and forget about their own language. In addition, these schools help children to learn better when they are surroundings by native Arabic language teachers, parents, and other children.

Second, in Saudis’ school children learn Islamic curriculum, which enhance the Islam identity on children. The fact is that, local schools in the kingdoms’ they are not allowed to teach any particular religion curriculum especially Islamic one. Children’s parents were concerned to make their children surroundings of Islamic community where they can have the full freedom to practice their religion without facing an issue. On other words, parents may have offered home schooling for their children, but they will not be able to engage their children in such activities that Saudis’ school offer, such as prying or fully Arabic thinking.

Saudi Bureau made the decision and left parents to worried about their children future. In general children of PhD students will spend with their parents nearly five years on the land of Britain, which means strong integration into the English schools, language, education, culture and after them, expected for their native language, culture and identity religious and national, and high school students the most affected as a result of the curriculum differences and even different valuation methods in addition to the testimony that they will receive even has neutralized it is expected that counted for them and not the regularity affiliation system?! Which means little acceptance opportunities later in Saudi universities. In the other hand, in Saudi Arabia school follow certain system of education that every child should be tested before he\she go to the next level. This will make sure that the student is placed in a suitable class and level. Also, in Saudis’ schools they offered an official certificate for each level children achieve, so when they go to Saudi Arabia they will know where to place the child biased on the certificate. In addition, the Kingdoms’ and Irelands’ education system students get a certificate only in grade 12 (high school). As a result, schools in Saudi Arabia will be confused about which level to place the child. Even if they have the placement test children will not be able to read or write Arabic language, which count the student in grade one to relearn the language. Nevertheless, there are private international schools where children could continue their education in English, families will not be able to fund their children in such schools because it is very pricy. Also, a child will not be able to communicate property with Arabic native speakers, which will occur a new dilemma (communication issue).

However, The Saudi bureau defined it self by having a lack of funding to support Saudis’ schools. Also these schools considered as an optional which can be replaced to homeschooling those children. Also, Saudi bureau mentioned that there is no need for spending and wasting money and time for teaching Saudis’ children Arabic curriculum if their families speak the Arabic language. Furthermore, Saudi bureau considers these schools as clubs running by individuals who volunteer to teach those children. In addition, the time for those children is not enough for children to make them able to handle the Arabic language very well. Children only spend two days a week in Saudis’ school and that did not meet students’ needs to learn enough of the Arabic language.  more importantly, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of higher education applies regular test for children based on homeschooling in Arabic language and Islamic curriculum.

After all, when the parents failed to convinced the Saudi Bureau to reopen the schools, they decided to support and fund the Saudis’ school themselves. More importantly is to educate their children and make sure they will not face Arabic language barrier and build an Islam identity.

Implication of the Case

After all, my point of view is that no matter who made the decision of closing the Saudis’ school without warning families or give alternatives, they made an obvious educational crime toward families and children. This is because students’ losses their own identity as an Arabic Muslim regard to the lack of practising their own Arabic language and their I identity as Muslim. Moreover, I had an experience to talk bravely about Saudis’ school where children or students who born and go to local schools in Canada they considered as poor learner of an Arabic language, even if their families are Arabic native. Children go a long with the English so fast and almost loosing their identity as an Arabic Muslim citizen. Especially, when the local government of these country can not interfere with the Saudi Bureau decision or what they decide for the Saudi scholarship students.

Summary

Saudis’ schools have worked on the continuation of the rehabilitation of the children on scholarships semester according to the Saudi curriculum. This will make their return after years to their country (Saudi Arabia’s) schools much affordable and joining with their peers in various academic levels possible, which missed the sons of scholarship in America, Canada and some other countries. In addition, to that it worked for these schools on the education of generations of the sons of the Arab and Muslim communities in Britain. Thus, the previous lines tell the story of the suffering of thousands of scholarship students with the most precious thing is difficult for them, namely the future of their children to the school, which has become a real danger for them as a result of a negligence decision that been taking without further warning.

References

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