Graduate students’ perceptions of the privatization of public education ‎in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A qualitative study

Albeshir, Saud; Albeshir, Saud; Mohammed Al-Qahiz, Khaled; Jaber Al-Shahri, Ahmed; Abdullah Al-Ruwaiti, Abdullah; Farhan Fayyad Al Shammari, Abdullah

doi:10.21608/edusohag.2024.297650.1499

Graduate students’ perceptions of the privatization of public education ‎in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A qualitative study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ King Saud University

² Salman

³ College of Education, King Saud University

10.21608/edusohag.2024.297650.1499

Abstract

The study aimed to identify graduate students' perceptions at a Saudi university about the privatization of public education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The study used a qualitative approach due to the methodology suited to the objectives and questions of the study. The study used interviews to collect information and arrive at answers to the study's questions. The study sample consisted of 21 graduate students. Participants' perceptions were generally favorable toward the privatization of pre-university education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, but not wholly, as the results indicate many potential negatives to privatizing the public education sector. As for the positives of privatization in public education, participants believed it can develop educational services in general and improve student achievement and outcomes. The results also indicated that participants assume that privatization of schools will reduce centralization in education and give schools more extraordinary powers, which encourages creativity and administrative innovation and enhances the principles of governance. The positives of privatizing education are reducing the administrative and financial obligations of the government. At the same time, the results of the study indicated that there are negative points to the privatization of public schools in the country, the most noteworthy of which is the monopoly of the education sector by a group of companies, which leads to an increase in the cost of students, in addition to the harm of many teachers and the loss of job security. One of the concerns is the low quality of education, mainly because many private sector aims for profitability at the expense of quality. The study presented recommendations for benefiting from the privatization of schools and ways to avoid the negatives of privatization.

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