SAUDI GAZETTE

JEDDAH — Many people believe the sports industry in the Kingdom will flourish with the introduction of physical education in girls’ schools and the opening of physical education major for females in several Saudis universities.

This is also expected to create a large number of job opportunities for women.

The University of Jeddah this month announced plans to introduce a Physical Education and Sports Sciences major for female students starting next academic year.

The university said prospective students would be able to obtain a bachelor's degree or diploma in the field.

The degree is eight semesters long, each semester with 15 weeks. The curriculum adheres to the teachings of Islam. The university aims to produce graduates who are qualified academically and vocationally to meet the requirements of the job market in both the private and public sectors.

According to Okaz newspaper, the University of Taif has reported a big jump in the number of female students applying for its newly announced physical education program. The university earlier said there was a very low response from female students to the announcement.

It said 2,129 women students chose PE as their first choice while applying for admission to the university. It also said 75 percent of all applicants who met the conditions opted to enroll in the physical education program.

Afnan Jameel, a Saudi coach at a private gym, explained that the opening of the PE major was a positive step since sport should be part of a person's lifestyle and a habit, especially as diabetes and obesity rates in the Kingdom were rapidly increasing.

She said she took courses to become a trainer but it would have been a different experience if she had the opportunity to study physical education as a major at university.

"Rather than the courses and trainings that I undertook, I tried to develop my skills and gain experience but if I studied it in university it would have been different. The market needs more trainers and coaches, so teaching this major in the universities will help create more jobs and fulfill the market demand. It will also make women realize that sport is vital for their daily life," Jameel said.

Nour Fadel, a resident in her 30s, said, "Opening PE programs in universities is a wonderful step since the sports industry in the Kingdom needs more qualified female trainers. With the introduction of PE in schools next semester and physical education majors in universities, we hope a large number of jobs would be created for women. At present, the universities offer very few job-oriented majors and students find it hard to land jobs.”

She added that women's fitness centers were in need of more qualified trainers and some centers sought to recruit foreigner experts from outside the Kingdom. "By opening PE programs in universities, this issue would be solved," she added.

"Now we can have more fitness centers for women in the Kingdom with qualified Saudi trainers and we will no longer need to hire foreign trainers," Fadel said.

Samah Ali, a Saudi housewife in her 30s, said opening the PE major in public universities would be a key step for paving the path for women to the sports industry.

"Having those trainers in schools and universities to teach young females about sports will enhance awareness in society toward sports and will help bring down the obesity rate among women," she said.