Benefits of the Qurtubah Private School in Saudi Arabia - Report Example

Background information: Saudi Arabia is experiencing a renaissance in all fields. Education is an important part of this renaissance, and government has a fundamental interest in education because developing informed and productive citizens is the basis of building societies. Therefore, the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia seeks to promote both public and private schools. One of those schools is the Qurtubah Private School. This private school was founded in 1996 with 88 elementary school students. Six years later, the director and founder established a middle-school section, and in 2009 he added the high school. The main products of this school are the students who study subjects in many different areas in order to become productive citizens of their communities. Currently, the total number of students in all three levels is about 1,300. Qurtubah Private School teaches basic skills and other subjects, such as English, computer science, critical thinking skills, and life skills; it is one of the most distinguished schools in Jeddah. Vision: The vision of the school is to achieve Educational manufactured life. Message: Jill building nicely , loves learning , sponsored by the team prepared , in contemporary educational institution , governed by the values ​​of authentic , and meet the aspirations of the community. Values- The school also works to instill several; values in the students. - Responsibility: This is one of the key values taught in the schools. This is because education as a whole is a responsibility as it involves learning. Children are taught skills on being responsible members of the society. - Proficiency : Proficiency is achieved in the institution by tackling responsibilities to perfection, having big ambitions , and excellence in the institutions work. Proficiency is seen in the creation of the school environment and the team of professionals in the institution. - Learning : The institution believes in the culture of learning and work . It seeks to achieve an educated organization of knowledge that employs a variety of sources which are renewable. - Contemporary : The institution also believes conscious thus keeps up with the development of the comprehensive. This is similar to entrepreneurship that does not stop at the end nor does it end at the time. - Partnership : The institution believes in partnership of parents, students and partners in the community for excellence and success. This is achieved through permanent and open dialogue between all the partners involved. This is achieved through the spirit of high responsibility and honesty. - Principles : The institution believes that honesty , justice and respect and the Shura Council and the principles of authentic freedom, draws the school and governs its behavior. Stakeholder Analysis: QurtubahPrivate School provides educational services for students from the age of 6 to 18 years. Most of the school's students are the sons of members of the faculty at King Abdulaziz University or of people working for Saudi Arabian Airlines.The primary stakeholdersare the students, the school’s staff, the parents, the education ministry, and the government. The details regarding the stakeholders are shown in Table 1. No. Stakeholders Roles&Responsibilities Influence 1 Students The school’s key products. They learn and benefit from the school environment,thus improving their lives. High 2 School staff The main element of human resources, tasked with creating the right environment for learning. High 3 Parents Parents are the main factor and key to supporting the education of each student. High 4 The education ministry The supervisory and regulatory authority for the school, which also provides educational curricula. High 5 Government The main beneficiary of the final product (students)andthe most important factor in building the country. High Environmental Analysis: An analysis of the school will be made using theSWOTmethod, which is divided into two parts. First, it analyses internal factors, which are the strengths and weaknesses of the school. Second, itanalyses external factors, which are opportunities and threats. The analysis of the internal environment is shown in the first table, which includes the culture, structures, routines, infrastructure, leadership, staff, staff development, financial viability, and governance. The external environment will be analyzed in the second table, which includes the political, economic, social, technological, and geographic elements. Table 1.Internal Analysis using PEST method Element Comments Culture Non-Saudi teachers often do not know about the customs, traditions, and culture of the country. Furthermore, the nature of Saudi students differs from that of students from other countries. This difference causes a number of problems between students and teachers. Most of the students in the school are from educated families. Therefore, the families are interested in the education of the students and more aware of the requirements of a good education. Additionally, this strengthens cooperation between the school and parents and makes teaching students and achieving academic goals easier. Structures Job descriptions exist for the school’sstaff but are not followed. We find a single person doing the work of two people, and thereis overlap among the staff in terms of work. Routines In the Saudi educational system, there is an upper limit of working hours and a minimum. At the QurtubahPrivate School, teachers often work at the system’s upper limit of working hours and possibly more because the employer prefers to save money by hiring fewer teachers. Infrastructure Qurtubah Private School has several buildings. These buildings suffer from several problems, including rental situations and not containing an appropriate number of facilities for activities. The students need places where they can engage in non-classroom activities and to participate in their favorite hobbies; these places are lacking at the Qurtubah School. Leadership The leadership at the school is young, and they have distinct personalities and are ambitious. Staff The school’s administration has chosen non-Saudi teachers who have strong experience and outstanding scientific qualifications; they come from Arab countries that have excellent educational systems, such as Egypt, Jordan, and Sudan. The relationship between the administration and teaching staff is distinct and works well, in addition to a relationship betweenteachers and students that is similar to that of children and parents. The number of employees at the school is much fewer than required, and this impairs the productivity of the team and its ability to reach the required targets. Saudi teachers remain at private schools for only a year or two, justlong enough to gain experience; then they move on to public schools for several reasons. First, the salaries of teachers in public schools are much higher than in private schools. Second, teachersin public schools are protected from expulsion, whichis the decision of the minister; teachers in private schools can be dismissed for minor mistakes. Staff development There are special provisions for the development and training of staff at the school.A department exists for the provision of development programs for employees at the school as well as to oversee the development of teachers and their performance through weekly meetings and monthly sessions. The school offers basic educational services in addition toteaching important topics such as English, life skills, thinking skills, and computer skills at a high level. A large number of teachers are not motivated to increase their abilities.Most of the teachers do not like the development programs and do not take advantage of these. They work at other jobs to increase their incomes because of the low salaries they are paid here. Financial viability Governance Table 2.Environmental analysis Element Comments Political The Ministry of Education has a high degree of trust in this school.They have confidence in the school’s administration, its very good quality of teachers, and its outstanding programs. The Ministry of Education does not agree with new programs and courses easily. Thus, it is a somewhat complex process to gain approval for these. The Ministry of Education does not agreewith the school’s use of a sufficient number of non-Saudi teachers. Economic The school’s staff is poorlypaid.The school’s owner pays poor salaries to make a greater profit. A general rise in prices has resulted in the school’s increasing its student fees. The Ministry of Education supports the school financially.It provides an annual subsidy for private schools at different rates, depending on the school’s assessment. In addition, the ministry provides large loans for private schools to establish school buildings. Social Social relationships among the school’s staff are very good. Students love the school very much.They often remain here from the beginning of primary school to the end of high school because they enjoy the social atmosphere. The parents have a high level of confidence in the school. The surrounding community supports the school in its programs. Most of the school's neighbors are the parents of the students; in addition, the school maintains many social programs for its neighbors, who in turn support the school regularly. Students do not have the ability to learn.The nature of the subjects and the educational policy in Saudi Arabia result in students who do not have the ability to learn. Technological The school has a special department for technology. The school offers technology for teachers.The school provides a laptop for each teacher and a Data Show in every classroom. Geographic The school’s site is in a strategicarea​​.It is located in an area that does not have a sufficient number of schools and isthus strategically placed. The existence of competing schools in the same area creates strong competition.There are manyother private schools around the school and this makes it provide excellent services to its consumers. The air temperature is not conducive to outdoor programs after 10:00a.m. Summary of Environmental Analysis Strategic planning needs to employ a certain system such as SWOT Analysis,whichis one of the best systems in this area. The system works on the basis of a study of the factors and influences that are both internal and external to the organization. However, in the event that this analysis from the perspective of one person has neglected some of the shortcomings and deficiencies, it is better to use several points of view in order to reach a balance concerningthe goals of the analysis. Summary of SWOT Analysis Strengths Most non-Saudi teachers have good experience and qualifications. Social relationships among school staff are very good. There is a special department for the development and training of school staff. The school’s leaders are young and talented. The school is sited in astrategicarea​​. The school offersstrong learningprograms. The school has a special section for technology. The school offers technologytools for teachers. Weaknesses Most of the non-Saudi teachers do not know how to deal with Saudi students. A large number of teachers are not motivated to develop their skills. The school’s staff is underpaid. The educational burden on the school’s staff is too large. The number of employees at the school is too few for the number of students. The school’s buildings are not adequate. Facilities for extracurricular activities are not available. Staff members have job descriptions, but they are not followed. Opportunities Most of the students are from educated families. Students love the school and are loyal to it. Parents have confidence in the school. The Ministry of Education truststhe school. The surrounding community supports the school’s programs. The Ministry of Education supports the school financially. Threats Students do not have the ability to learn. Many teachers leave the school after the first year to work in public schools where they receive a fair salary. The Ministry of Education does not easily agree with new programs and courses. There are competing schools in the same geographic area. The Ministry of Education does not agreewith the school’s wishto add a sufficient number of non-Saudi teachers. The air temperature is not conducive to outside programs after 10:00a.m. A general rise in prices causes the school to increase student fees. Strategic Goals: According to the SWOT analysis that was done as seen above, good planning and putting strategic targets for the school is the only way the school can face threats and minimize weaknesses. Doing this would enable the school to exploit its opportunities and focus on its strengths. Strategic Goal 1: Achieve a high level of scientific excellence. One of the main strengths in the school is quality education. This should be the main focus in the strategic goals. Thus, the level of education in the school should meet the competition of other schools in the same geographical area. Finance: Student tuition fees Objectives: 1- Curriculum development in the school and to find new approaches 2- Increase the level of education for students 3- Discover and develop the talents and abilities of students Strategic Goal 2: Increase the efficiency of workers In the education process, teachers are important elements. Increasing their level of education can help resolve many issues. When teachers are well motivated, they can teach students better. Also, when their level of education is good, children also get better quality education as compared to teachers who are not well educated. Teacher development also helps non-Saudi teachers in dealing with Saudi students. This would be essential as most non-Saudi teachers are the ones with good teaching experience. Finance: Training centers and institutions can be used to increase workers efficiency. These centers can train teachers for a fee in exchange for the schools publishing their advertisements in school magazines and buildings. The centers can also use school buildings in establishing their courses in evenings and summer time when the students do not use them. Objectives: 1- Improvement and development of the process of selecting teachers working in the school 2- Developing means of evaluating teachers 3- development of training programs for workers in the school Strategic Goal 3: teamwork Team work is another strategic goal which will help solve many of the weaknesses of the school. This strategic goal makes decisions based on the participation of the employees. Problem with team work could be due to low salaries and low number of teachers for the number of students. Teamwork also helps students and parents discuss problems of appropriate building which the school can later deal with. Objectives: 1- Increase the effectiveness of the organizational structure 2- Find and organize special board teachers 3- Find and organize special board students Strategic Goal 1:Achieve a high level of scientific excellence Objectives Actions Responsibility Timelines Achievement Indicators 1 Curriculum development in the school and to find new approaches - Evaluation of the curriculum in school - Curriculum development in the school after evaluated - Find a new educational curriculum Office of Educational Supervision in school and teachers June and July / 2014 2 Increase the level of education for students - Assess students every month - Divide students into categories according to the level of student - Create additional programs for each group of students The school principal and teachers August / 2014 3 Discover and develop the talents and abilities of students - Discover the talents and abilities of students - Develop programs and extra-curricular activities for the development of this talent . Teachers and parents August / 2014 Strategic Goal 2:Increase the efficiency of workers Objectives Actions Responsibility Timelines Achievement Indicators 1 Improvement and development of the process of selecting teachers working in the school Lay the foundations and high standards for the selection of teachers and selection of teachers on these grounds. Management of schools and the Office of Educational Supervision in school June and July / 2014 2 Developing means of evaluating teachers Review of successful methods in the application programs Management of schools and the Office of Educational Supervision in school June / 2014 3 development of training programs for workers in the school Review some the features and bonuses of teachers, who practice the activities and programs of Islamic awareness. Training Department at the school in collaboration with the Training Department in the Ministry June / 2014 Strategic Goal 3:teamwork Objectives Actions Responsibility Timelines Achievement Indicators 1 Increase the effectiveness of the organizational structurestructure Review and re-drafting of the organizational structure of schools and post a representative of all employees The owner of the school and the school administration. June and July / 2014 2 Find and organize a special board teachers -Lay and controls the foundationsof the Council of teachers - Election of the teachers participating in the Council of teachers Office of Educational Supervision in schools August / 2014 3 Find and organize a special board students -Lay and controls the foundationsof the Council of students - Election of the students participating in the Council of students Student activity guide Sepetmber/ 2014 Responding to dramatic changes in funding a. An unexpected windfall of an increase in funding of 50% In the year 2015, the government is planning on supporting private school by offering 50% worth of the schools budget. Cordoba school is an example of an institution which has good financial management. This can be seen in the growth of the school from their financial resources that are used to support fees of students and the government’s annual report. The estimated budget for the school was five million dollars in 2014 which will be carries forward to 2015 so that the government can support the budget of the school. The school will have to purchase land first which would cost around 1.5 million dollars hence 60 percent of the part of the budget being funded by the government. Purchasing land is a [priority as 70% of buildings used by the school are rented. This costs the school a lot of money which increased at the end of the lease contract. Increase in funding should also result to technological improvements. 50, 000 dollars would be used to increase the schools’ technological environment. This would give the school competition from other private schools and have more features as compared to public schools. A better technological environment would also be useful for students as it would better their education. This funding would create a plan for electronic classrooms which would be useful for the students. The remaining money for the government support would be 500,000 dollars which would be used in building facilities and additional classrooms in the schools. Cordoba school offers admission to students at the beginning of each year. However, the absorptive capacity of the school does not allow many students in the school. There is a lack of facilities that would allow the establishments of programs for student activity. Therefore, the school building facilities for this purpose would benefit the school board and the community as there would be more admissions. a. An unexpected catastrophe reducing funding by 50% For the purpose of this exercise, having two rival schools in the same geographical area would lead to withdrawal of 50% of the school's students and decline of the school’s budget by 50%. The schools administration would have to work on an alternative plan. First, the fee of students would have to be raised by 10% so as to cover the shortfall of students by 50%. Secondly, the number of employees in the school would have to be reduced by 20% in 2014. This would help solve the problem of 30% of shortfall in 2015. Thirdly, a good strategy would be to increase evening activities and programs which increase the schools income. This would be worth 20% of the value of the shortfall. Read More