In a courageous decision and a pioneering step aimed at improving the quality of education in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, the Ministry of Education has launched a long-awaited educational project by assigning women to teach boys up to the third grade of elementary schools. These women, who are specialized teachers and trainers in the field of early childhood education, will work in schools that are under 100 percent female administration.
In early childhood education schools, which include the second and third levels of kindergarten, and the first, second and third grades of elementary school for boys and girls, the authorities give parents the option to either continue their children’s education in these new schools or to enroll their sons in boys’ schools.
Some 1,490 early childhood schools opened this week in various cities and regions across the Kingdom. In these schools, classrooms have been furnished to operate kindergartens accommodating 83,000 children. This is a large number in the initial stage of implementing the government’s decision and will be followed with other phases until it covers all the schools in the Kingdom.
The issue of the integration of these schools has been a personal concern for mime for many years. I have written articles and tweeted about the advantages of assigning the education of boys in elementary school to specialized female teachers so as to facilitate the child’s movement from kindergarten to elementary school without creating any gap that might create a psychological obstacle and a feeling of insecurity in the child.
Furthermore, it is difficult to move from an environment closer to the family environment, namely the kindergarten stage, to a completely different environment. This is not because of any lack of teaching competency and the ability of male teachers, but because of the necessity to create an environment adapted to the needs of the child in view of the fact that women teachers are capable of playing the role of a second mother.
When my son was enrolled in a school in Riyadh, which was integrated more than 15 years ago, it was a great success and had a very positive impact. On a personal level, it was a wonderful experience. I used to accompany my son to his school, attend his events and mothers’ councils, participate in activities and communicate with his teachers constantly. It was a groundbreaking experience that every child should be provided with.
The new educational project has been prepared after hard work and continuous efforts by the concerned officials, according to the statement of the Director General of Early Childhood at the Ministry of Education Nada Al-Samail. Within a short span of time, the ministry has been successful in designating special buildings for the modernization of some internal systems of schools and the provision of necessary facilities in kindergartens and primary grades along with making available service staff to meet the needs of children. The ministry has also made available fully furnished classrooms with all the amenities in separate buildings. It is expected that the ministry will expand this new project of schools for early childhood education to cities and villages in all regions of the Kingdom during the next phase.
Finally, I would like to offer some positive factors to those who object to this initiative. Firstly, it will create jobs for women graduates who have completed nursery school training courses. Secondly, the project is optional, not mandatory. I am sure that those who object to this scheme today will change their mind tomorrow when they experience the positive aspects of its implementation in building sound personality and good character and increasing the self-confidence of our children. There will also be separate classrooms, toilets and other facilities for boys and girls.
