In May of this year a report by Freedom House on objectionable material in Saudi educational materials drew candid responses from leaders in the Kingdom. Foreign Minister Saud al Faisal, during a press conference with the US Secretary of State, said, "The education reforms in Saudi Arabia go beyond textbook rewriting. And they go into teacher training, directions.. ..And so the whole system of education is being transformed from top to bottom. Textbooks are only one of the steps that has been taken by Saudi Arabia."In early June Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to the United States, Prince Turki al Faisal, writing in a "USA Today" op-ed, said, "Saudi Arabia is a nation undergoing dramatic self-examination. Every aspect of Saudi Arabia's society and culture is being openly debated. We have recognized that a comprehensive, modern and open educational system -- with new and revised textbooks -- is fundamental to the growth and prosperity of our country. A thoughtful revision of this system is necessary, and indeed well underway."Today, for your consideration, SUSRIS would like to share additional comments on the subject of education reform by Jamal Khashoggi, former journalist and advisor to Prince Turki. He was interviewed by Fareed Zakaria for the excellent weekly foreign affairs show, "Foreign Exchange." The show aired on July 28, 2006 and can be viewed on-line (links below).
The designation of ``Key School'' exists for selected schools at every educational level in China: elementary, secondary and higher. In addition, there are various levels of the ``key'' designation itself: There are national key institutions, provincial or municipal key institutions, and county or district key institutions. Key schools all enjoy priority funding as well as the privilege of recruiting the best students. At the elementary and secondary levels, this concept is similar to that of a ``magnet'' or ``college preparatory'' school in the United States. Entry into such schools is based on examination and academic promise and achievement. For such schools, success is usually measured in terms of the percentage of its graduates entering colleges and universities, especially the key colleges and universities. The philosophy has been that giving a limited number of schools, colleges and universities priority in allocating limited resources, then the t...
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