Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Dissertations Graduate College 8-1985 To Establish the Degree of Interest for New Technical Instructional Programs at Taif Junior College, Saudi Arabia Ahmed Said Sulayman Derbas Western Michigan University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations Part of the Community College Leadership Commons, and the Curriculum and Instruction Commons Recommended Citation Derbas, Ahmed Said Sulayman, "To Establish the Degree of Interest for New Technical Instructional Programs at Taif Junior College, Saudi Arabia" (1985). Dissertations. 2327. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations/2327 This Dissertation-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact maira.bundza@wmich.edu.
TO ESTABLISH THE DEGREE OF INTEREST FOR NEW TECHNICAL INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMS AT TAIF JUNIOR COLLEGE, SAUDI ARABIA by Ahmed S aid Sulayman D erbas A D i s s e r ta tio n S u b m itted to th e F a c u lty o f The G rad u ate C o lle g e in p a r t i a l f u l f i l l m e n t o f th e re q u ire m e n ts f o r th e D egree o f D o c to r o f E d u c a tio n D epartm ent o f E d u c a tio n a l L e a d e rsh ip W estern M ichigan U n iv e r s ity K alam azoo, M ichigan A ugust 1985
TO ESTABLISH THE DEGREE OF INTEREST FOR NEW TECHNICAL INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMS AT TAIF JUNIOR COLLEGE, SAUDI ARABIA Ahmed S aid Sulayman D e rb as, Ed.D. W estern M ichigan U niversity, 1985 A t th e p r e s e n t t i m e, j u n i o r c o l l e g e s do n o t h a v e t e c h n i c a l p ro g ram s t h a t w ould p ro v id e tr a in e d S a u d is to assum e r e s p o n s ib i l i ty i n te c h n ic a l and m id d le m anagem ent f i e l d s. The p u rp o se o f t h i s stu d y w as to e s t a b l i s h th e d e g r e e o f i n t e r e s t f o r new t e c h n i c a l i n s t r u c t i o n a l p rogram s a t T a if J u n io r C o lle g e to m eet th o se needs. The p o p u la tio n o f t h i s s tu d y c o n s is te d o f a l l s tu d e n ts a tte n d in g t h e c o l l e g e f o r th e a c a d e m ic s c h o o l y e a r 1 9 8 4-8 5. A s a m p le o f 255 was s e le c te d by u s in g a s im p le random m ethod. D ata w ere c o lle c te d u t i l i z i n g a tw o - s e c tio n q u e s tio n n a ir e w hich h as been d ev e lo p ed by th e r e s e a r c h e r. The f i r s t s e c t i o n f o c u s e d on d e m o g ra p h ic i n f o r m a ti o n w h ile th e s e c o n d s e c t i o n d e a l t w ith s e l e c t e d v a l u e s o f e d u c a t i o n. The q u e s t i o n n a i r e w as d i s t r i b u t e d to 300 s u b j e c t s, o f w h ic h 255 q u e s tio n n a ir e s w ere co m p lete d and r e tu r n e d to th e r e s e a r c h e r. D ata w e re t a b u l a t e d an d a n a ly z e d u s in g f r e q u e n c i e s an d p e r c e n t a g e s and r e p o rte d as d e s c r i p t iv e in fo rm a tio n. S in c e 9 o f th e 13 ite m s (69.2%) had re sp o n se s in th e d e s ir e d d i r e c t io n, i t was co n c lu d ed t h a t th e r e i s an i n t e r e s t f o r d e v e lo p in g new te c h n ic a l i n s t r u c t i o n a l program s a t T a if J u n io r C o lle g e. F u r th e r re s e a r c h in t h i s a r e a i s recom m ended in order to know what types of tech n ical programs would accommodate the
needc o f d ev elo p m en t i n S audi A rab ia th ro u g h o u t th e F o u rth F iv e -Y e ar P la n, 1985-1990.
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8526122 Derbas, Ahmed Said Sulayman TO ESTABLISH THE DEGREE OF INTEREST FOR NEW TECHNICAL INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMS AT TAIF JUNIOR COLLEGE, SAUDI ARABIA Western Michigan University Ed.D. 1985 University Microfilms International 300 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 Copyright 1985 by Derbas, Ahmed Said Sulayman All Rights Reserved
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C o p y rig h t by Ahmed S aid Sulayman D erbas 1985
DEDICATION To th e d e a r e s t p e rso n in my w hole l i f e. To my m o th e r, F. A1 Osaim i I p ro u d ly d e d ic a te t h i s w ork. May God b le s s us a l l. -Ahmed- A ugust 7, 1985 K alam azoo,, M ichigan
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS T h is d i s s e r t a t i o n w o u ld n o t h a v e b e e n c o m p le te d w i t h o u t th e continuous support and a ssistan ce of many in d iv id u a ls, some to whom I wish to express my ap p reciatio n and sin cere g ra titu d e. To th e c h a ir m a n o f my d o c t o r a l c o m m itte e, D r. C h a r le s C. W a r f i e ld, f o r h i s g u id a n c e an d a s s i s t a n c e th r o u g h o u t my c o u r s e o f s t u d y, and to th e m em b ers o f th e c o m m itte e, D r. Owen B. M id d le to n, Dr. Lawrence B. Schlack, and Dr. Robert B rashear, fo r th e ir cooperat i o n, g u id a n c e, and a s s i s t a n c e. To my f a m ily, my b r o th e r s f o r t h e i r encouragem ent and su p p o rt to p u rsu e my d o c to r a l s tu d y, and m ost im p o rta n t a s p e c ia l g r a ti t u d e to my younger bro th er, Bander Derbas, fo r h is understanding and s a c rific e which has helped make th is pro ject a success. Ahmed S aid Sulayman D erbas i i
TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS... LIST OF T A B L E S... LIST OF FIGURES... i i v i v i i CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION... 1 The P r o b l e m... 4 P urpose o f th e S t u d y... 5 S ig n if ic a n c e o f th e Study... 7 Summary o f C h a p te r I... 9 I I. REVIEW OF SELECTED LITERATURE... 10 I n tr o d u c tio n... 10 E d u c a tio n a l D evelopm ent... 11 Manpower i n S audi A ra b ia, 1980-1985 13 Human R esource Developm ent... 20 E d u c a tio n and T ra in in g... 24 M ajor G o a l s... 28 H i s t o r i c a l Model O th er C o u n trie s Have C opied.... 31 H i s t o r i c a l Developm ent... 33 Manpower Problems in Less-Developed C ountries... 34 S h o rta g e o f S k ille d L abor in L D C s... 34 Manpower G o a ls, P o li c ie s, and Program s... 35 G o a l s... 36 P o l i c i e s... 36 i i i
Table of Contents Continued CHAPTER P r o g r a m s... 37 J u n io r C o lle g e s in Some D eveloping N a tio n s : T h e ir R o les in M eeting Manpower Needs... 39 J u n io r C o lle g e s in S audi A rab ia... 42 O b je c tiv e s o f Saudi A r a b ia 's F u tu re T e c h n ic a l J u n io r C o lle g e s... 45 S u m m a r y... 46 I I I. THE METHOD... 50 I n tr o d u c tio n... 50 P o p u la tio n and Sample... 50 I n s tru m e n ta tio n... 50 P il o t T e s t... 51 D ata C o l l e c t i o n... 52 D ata A n a ly sis P ro ce d u re... 52 IV. THE F IN D IN G S... 54 Demographic D a t a... 54 R e sp o n d e n t's A g e... 54 Sum m ary... 57 Q u e s tio n n a ir e F in d in g s... 57 T a b u l a t i o n... 57 V is u a l P r e s e n ta tio n... 60 A n a ly sis o f th e R e s u l t... 60 S u m m a r y... 70 V. SUMMARY, CONCLUSION, AND RECOMMENDATIONS... 72 iv
Table of Contents Continued S u m m a r y... 72 C o n clu sio n and Recom m endations... 72 C o n c l u s i o n... 73 R ecom m endations... 73 APPENDICES A. Q u e s ti o n n a i r e... 76 B. Summary S ta tis tic s and Locations of Junior C olleges in S audi A r a b i a... 80 C. Form ula and T ab le f o r D e te rm in in g Sample S i z e... 83 D. A Summary o f th e S audi A rab ia F iv e -Y e a r P la n s... 86 E. The P ro g re s s o f E d u c a tio n in S au d i A r a b i a... 88 F. C o lle g e D ep artm en ts... 102 BIBLIOGRAPHY... I l l v
LIST OF TABLES 1. Saudi A rabia : Employment by N atio n ality in 1980 and 1985... 3 2. Estim ated Manpower D istrib u tio n in S elected O ccupational Groups in 1980 3 3. Employment by Economic S ector and N a tio n a lity, 1975... 17 4. Employment o f M ig ra n ts in S e le c te d Y ears... 19 5. P ro je c te d School E n ro llm e n ts, 1979-80 to 1984-85... 27 6. Number of Students E nrolled in 1984-85 and Expected Enrollm ent in 1989-90 29 7. E x p e n d itu re on Human R eso u rc es O ver th e F o u rth F iv e -Y e ar D evelopm ent P la n in M illio n s... 31 8. Age o f R e s p o n d e n ts... 55 9. Means, Standard D eviations, Sample S izes and F re q u e n c ie s, and P e rc e n ta g e s o f R esponses... 58 10. Sample S ize, F requencies, and Percentages of Responses: F a v o rin g, O pposing, and U ndecided Towards th e S u b je c t M a t t e r... 59 vi
LIST OF FIGURES 1. B ar C h a rt I l l u s t r a t i n g th e Number o f R espondents In F a v o r, O pposed, and U ndecided i n H aving T e c h n ic a l I n s t r u c ti o n a l P rogram a t th e T a if J u n io r C o lle g e... 61 2. B ar C h a rt I l l u s t r a t i n g th e Number o f R esp o n d en ts in F av o r, O pposed, and U ndecided in H a v in g th e T e c h n ic a l I n s t r u c t i o n a l P ro g ra m a t T a i f J u n io r C o l l e g e... 62 3. P ie C h art I l l u s t r a t i n g th e P e rc e n ta g e s o f R espondents A g ree, D is a g r e e, and U ndecided T hat th e T e c h n ic a l Program W ill Im prove T h eir Work Needs (Item #6) 63 4. P ie C h art I l l u s t r a t i n g th e P e rc e n ta g e s o f R espondents A gree, D is a g re e, and U ndecided T hat More E m phasis Has Been P ut on Q u a n tita tiv e T ra in in g R a th e r Than in Q u a l i t a t i v e T r a i n in g ( I te m #7)... 63 5. P ie C h art I l l u s t r a t i n g th e P e rc e n ta g e s o f R espondents A gree, D is a g re e, and U ndecided T h at T e c h n ic a l Program t o be E s t a b l i s h e d i n th e C o lle g e ( I te m # 8 )... 64 6. Pie C hart Illu s tra tin g the Percentages of Respondents A gree, D is a g r e e, and U ndecided T hat th e C u rre n t C u rric u lu m i s Enough to S a tis f y M ost o f th e Needs o f D e v e lo p m e n t ( I te m # 9 )... 64 7. Pie C hart Illu s tra tin g the Percentages of Respondents A g ree, D is a g r e e, and U ndecided T hat They F e e l th e C urrent C urriculum is Enough fo r T heir Am bitious Needs ( I t e m # 1 0 )... 65 8. P ie C h art I l l u s t r a t i n g th e P e rc e n ta g e s o f R espondents A g ree, D is a g r e e, and U ndecided T hat th e T e c h n ic a l Program May Help to Improve T heir Work Needs (Item # 1 1 )... 65 9. P ie C h art I l l u s t r a t i n g th e P e rc e n ta g e s o f R espondents A g ree, D is a g re e, and U ndecided T hat More E m phasis S hould be G iven to T e c h n ic a l Program s R a th e r Than on Q u a l i t a t i v e P ro g ra m s ( I te m # 1 2 ) 66 10. P ie C h art I l l u s t r a t i n g th e P e rc e n ta g e s o f R espondents A g ree, D is a g r e e, and U ndecided T hat th e T e c h n ic a l P rogram M ight be B e tte r Than O rie n te d Tow ards Some L e v e ls o f P ro g ra m D e v e lo p m e n t ( I te m # 1 3 )... 66 v i i
List of Figures Continued 11. P ie C h art I l l u s t r a t i n g th e P e rc e n ta g e s o f R espondents A gree, D is a g r e e, o r U ndecided T hat T e c h n ic a l Program Would Make a D ifference in the Level of S a tisfa c tio n o f W ork N eeds ( I te m # 1 4 )... 67 12. P ie C h art I l l u s t r a t i n g th e P e rc e n ta g e s o f R espondents A gree, D is a g re e, and U ndecided T hat th e C o lle g e Should Develop In to a F ull Technical In s titu tio n ( I t e m # 1 5 )... 67 13. P ie C h art I l l u s t r a t i n g th e P e rc e n ta g e s o f R esp o n d en ts A gree, D is a g re e, and U ndecided T hat T e c h n ic a l Programs May Not Improve Their Work Needs (Item #16)... 68 14. P ie C h art I l l u s t r a t i n g th e P e rc e n ta g e s o f R esp o n d en ts A gree, D isa g re e, and U ndecided T hat E m phasizing Only T e c h n ic a l P rogram s May Not Be H e lp fu l (Ite m # 1 7 )... 68 15. P ie C h art I l l u s t r a t i n g th e P e rc e n ta g e s o f R espondents A gree, D is a g r e e, and U ndecided About th e P re f e re n c e in a T e c h n ic a l C ourse O ffe re d W ith in th e T a if J u n io r C o l l e g e ( I t e m # 1 8 )... 69 v i i i
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The K ingdom o f S a u d i A r a b ia s e e k s e d u c a t i o n a l e x p a n s io n. The c o u n tr y f i r s t cam e i n t o b e in g a s a c o n s o l i d a t e d n a t i o n i n th e m id - 1 9 3 0 s. The d i s c o v e r y o f o i l i n th e l a t e r 1 9 3 0 s ch a n g e d th e n a t u r e and scope o f th e n ew ly d e v e lo p in g s o c ie ty o f Saudi A rab ia. From i t s b e g i n n i n g, th e g o v e r n m e n t o f S a u d i A ra b ia h as em phasized e d u c a tio n an d t r a i n i n g a s v i t a l to th e s o c i a l an d e c o n o m ic p r o g r e s s o f th e c o u n try. Saudi A ra b ia i s u n d erg o in g a r a p id and m assiv e t r a n s i t i o n i n to development in a ll areas im posing a modern in fra stru c tu re and industr y. Such tsw ift m o d e rn iz a tio n depends c r i t i c a l l y on im p o rte d la b o r. T h e r e fo r e, th e c o u n try o f Saudi A ra b ia i s s u f f e r in g from s h o rta g e s o f h ig h ly s k i ll e d p e r s o n n e l in a lm o st a l l te c h n ic a l and s e m ip ro fe s s io n a l c a t e g o r i e s. " In te r n a tio n a l Econom ics" ("S audi A rab ia 's Dilemma," 1980) re p o r t e d t h a t "one o f th e m a jo r p ro b le m s f a c i n g S a u d i A r a b ia i s t h a t t h e r e a r e s im p ly n o t en o u g h S a u d is to do th e w ork t h a t e c o n o m ic d e v e lo p m e n t r e q u i r e s " (p. 5 3 ). The r e p o r t g o e s on to s a y t h a t th e i n d u s t r i a l w ork fo r c e can draw on o n ly ab o u t 500,000 S a u d is, a c c o rd ing to Erb, an econom ist of the American E nterprise In s titu te. Campbell (1981) reported th a t : A s e r i o u s c o n s t r a i n t to th e d e v e lo p m e n t o f a m o d ern and d iv e rsifie d in d u s tria l base in Saudi Arabia is the c r itic a l sh o rta g e of s k ille d m anpower. T his sh o rta g e has been a 1
n agging problem w hich i s becom ing more a c u te a s th e economy c o n tin u e s i t s e x p lo s iv e g ro w th, (p. 3) The F i r s t D evelopm ent P la n, 1970-1975 em p h asized th e lo n g -te rm o b jectiv e of developing the natio n 's human resources through extensive investm ents in education and train in g d esp ite strin g e n t financ ia l co n stra in ts (Dunipace, 1977). In e x p e c ta tio n o f manpower c o n s tr a in ts on d ev e lo p m e n t, th e l a t e K in g F a i s a l r e c o g n iz e d th e p ro b le m o f s h o r t a g e s o f m anpow er th e K ingdom w o u ld f a c e, an d ha r e a l i z e d th e v i t a l r o l e o f v o c a t i o n a l e d u c a t i o n and t r a i n i n g in re m e d y in g th e p ro b le m. He s a i d : " T h is c o u n tr y i n t h i s p a r t i c u l a r s t a g e o f i t s d e v e lo p m e n t, i s i n g r e a t e r need o f a d o p tin g th e v o c a tio n a l tre n d, b ec au se th e im p le m e n ta tio n and c a r r y in g o u t of p r o je c ts re q u ir e s manpower, and th e manpower sh o u ld be draw n from th e c o u n try 's own so n s (D unipace, 1977, p. 208). C lem ents (1978) re p o r te d th a t "manpower i s th e g r e a t e s t problem to be fa c e d a t e a c h s t a g e o f d e v e lo p m e n t" (p. 1 9 ). The a u t h o r w as d is c u s s in g th e problem o f manpower in th e p e tro c h e m ic a l in d u s tr y in S audi A ra b ia. He f u r th e r s tr e s s e d h is p o in t in s a y in g t h a t th e r e i s an acute shortage of s k ille d personnel. The T h ird F iv e -Y e a r D evelopm ent P la n, 1980-1985, c o n tin u e s w ith che same tu n e in p la c in g in c re a s e d em p h asis on v o c a tio n a l t r a i n i n g a n d th e d e v e lo p m e n t o f s k i l l e d S a u d i m an p o w e r, d u e i n p a r t to th e l a r g e n u m b er o f f o r e i g n w o r k e rs i n th e S a u d i l a b o r f o r c e. T a b le 1 c l a r i f i e s t h i s m eaning. T a b le 2 sh o w s t h a t t h e r e i s a l a r g e g ap b e tw e e n th e n u m b er o f s k ille d Saudis and non-saudis in three selected occupational groups.
3 T ab le 1 Saudi A rabia : Employment by N a tio n a lity in 1980 and 1985 Y ear T o ta l employment N a tio n a ls (S a u d is ) N o n n a tio n a ls (n o n -S a u d is) 1980 2,7 4 7,0 6 0 1,7 2 3,4 8 0 1,0 2 3,5 8 0 1985 O ffic ia l fig. 3,043,370 2,065,080 978,290 Estim ated fig. 3,297,970 2,065,080 1,232,890 N o te. From " S a u d i A r a b ia I s s u e s : V iew o f an E co n o m ic P o w er i n th e Making" (Annual R esearch R ep o rt), 1981, i n B u s in e s s I n t e r n a t i o n a l, p. 198, New York: B usiness Week P u b lication T ab le 2 E s tim a te d Manpower D is t r i b u t io n in S e le c te d O c c u p a tio n a l Groups in 1980 ( i n th o u san d s) O ccupational groups Saudi Non-Saudi Technicians and su b p ro fessio n als 33.4 81.3 C le rica l workers 99.6 121.8 S k ille d w o rk ers 4 3.5 1 0 1.9 T otals 226.5 305.0 N o te. From V o c a t i o n a l a n d T e c h n i c a l P r e p a r a t i o n i n S a u d i A ra b ia (M anpower D evelopm ent P rogram s Conducted by th e P u b lic and P r iv a te S e c t o r s ), by C. P. C a m p b e ll, 1981. P a p e r p r e s e n t e d a t th e A m e ric a n V ocational A ssociation Convention, A tlanta, Ga.
I n o r d e r to l e s s e n th e s e v e r i t y o f th e a c u t e s h o r t a g e s o f manpow er, a te c h n ic a l ju n io r c o lle g e was b u i l t in R iyadh, S audi A ra b ia, in 1983. Now th e c i t y has two c o lle g e s, th e te c h n ic a l ju n io r c o lle g e f o r te c h n ic a l tr a i n i n g o n ly and th e ju n io r c o lle g e w hich i s o n ly f o r t r a i n i n g t e a c h e r s. The l a t t e r w as b u i l t in 1 9 7 5-1 9 7 6. E v i d e n t l y, th e te c h n ic a l ju n io r c o lle g e i s v i t a l f o r th e p ro d u c tio n o f n a tiv e s s p e c ia liz e d in d i f f e r e n t o c c u p a t i o n a l a r e a s t o r e p l a c e som e o f th e f o r e ig n w o rk ers im p o rte d by th e c o u n try. T e c h n ic a l t r a i n i n g co u ld be carried out in the same ju n io r college in which the teachers' tra in i n g p ro g ra m i s c a r r i e d o u t. S in c e th e c o u n tr y i s f a c i n g v e r y h ig h manpower re q u ir e m e n ts, h a v in g th e two program s to g e th e r w i l l be more e f f i c i e n t in te rm s of human and econom ic re s o u rc e s. T h is w i l l r e s u l t i n e f f i c i e n t u se o f fu n d s to in c r e a s e manpower and to c o n s tr u c t new j u n i o r c o l l e g e b u i l d i n g s. As i t i s, t h e r e a r e 11 j u n i o r c o l l e g e s th r o u g h o u t th e c o u n tr y a s o f th e 1 9 8 4-8 5 a c a d e m ic s c h o o l y e a r ( s e e A p p e n d ix C). The Problem The problem in S audi A rabia is th e la c k of h ig h ly tra in e d p e r s o n n e l i n t e c h n i c a l an d m id d le m an a g em en t am ong S a u d is. At th e p r e s e n t tim e j u n i o r c o l l e g e s do n o t h a v e t e c h n i c a l p ro g r a m s t h a t w o u ld p r o v id e t r a i n e d S a u d is to assu m e r e s p o n s ib i l i ty in te c h n ic a l an d m id d le m an a g em en t f i e l d s. The e x i s t i n g s h o r t a g e s o f m anpow er made th e Saudi governm ent im p o rt s k i l l e d manpower from ab ro ad to f i l l the needs of i t s expanding economy.
To re m e d y t h i s p r o b le m, s e l f - r e l i a n c e and e d u c a t i o n o f l o c a l m an p o w er i s one way to r e d u c e th e d e p e n d e n c y upon f o r e i g n l a b o r. What re s o u rc e does a n a tio n have in th e f i r s t p la c e? The answ er i s o b v io u s b u t to o o f te n o v e rlo o k e d th e e n e rg y o f i t s p eo p le! By doing s o, t h i s w o u ld m ake S a u d i A r a b ia c a p a b le o f a s s u m in g a l e a d e r s h i p r o l e i n th e w o r ld r a t h e r th a n b e in g j u s t a " d e v e lo p in g c o u n tr y." W oodhall (1972) s t a t e d t h a t e d u c a te d manpower i s an im p o rta n t ele m e n t in th e p ro c e s s o f econom ic d ev e lo p m e n t. The economy and i t s r a te of g r o w th a r e d e p e n d e n t on an a d e q u a te s u p p ly o f s k i l l e d and t r a i n e d w o rk e rs. The g e n e ra l a c c e p ta n c e of t h i s view i s th e b a s is f o r some form o f e d u c a tio n a l p la n n in g, g iv e n t h a t th e p ro d u c tio n o f q u a lif ie d m anpower l i e s in m ost c o u n tr ie s w ith in th e c o n tr o l o f th e c o u n try 's education system. The ro le of education in economic a c tiv ity becomes cle ar. Econ o m ic g ro w th i s, t o a g r e a t d e g r e e, d e p e n d e n t upon p r o d u c t i v i t y, w h ich, in t u r n, i s d ep e n d en t upon te c h n ic a l and human know-how, w hich in tu rn, re lie s on education (W oodhall, 1972). P u rp o se o f th e S tudy The p u rp o se o f t h i s s tu d y i s to e s t a b l i s h th e d eg ree o f i n t e r e s t i n d e v e lo p in g a new i n s t r u c t i o n a l program in th e form o f te c h n ic a l t r a i n i n g a t T a i f J u n i o r C o lle g e a s p e r c e i v e d by p r e s e n t s t u d e n t s. D e g re e o f i n t e r e s t i s d e f in e d a s 66.6% r e s p o n s e s i n a g r e e m e n t o r s t r o n g a g r e e m e n t on 66.6% o f th e 13 ite m s on th e i n s tr u m e n t. T h is c o l l e g e w as c h o s e n b e c a u s e o f i t s a c c e s s i b i l i t y, th e r e s e a r c h e r 's f a m i l i a r i t y w ith th e c o l l e g e, b e c a u s e T a i f i s a t y p i c a l e x a m p le o f
a l l c o l l e g e s i n S a u d i A r a b ia, an d f i n a l l y, b e c a u s e o f i t s c e n t r a l lo catio n in the w estern province. H o p e fu lly th e r e s e a r c h e r 's r e s u l t s w i l l co n v in c e th e M in is tr y o f E d u c a tio n to in c lu d e te c h n ic a l t r a i n i n g p rogram s in th e now e x is tin g j u n i o r c o l l e g e s w h ic h a r e p r e s e n t l y u s e d f o r th e p r e p a r a t i o n o f e le m e n ta ry s c h o o l te a c h e r s. T h is w i l l be an e f f e c t iv e u se o f human and e c o n o m ic r e s o u r c e s i f th e tw o p ro g r a m s a r e c a r r i e d o u t i n th e same j u n io r c o lle g e. U n less p re s e n t s tu d e n ts in d i c a t e w illin g n e s s to u t i l i z e new c u r r i c u l a, e f f o r t s may be w a ste d. The s u b j e c t s o f t h i s s tu d y w i l l a n s w e r th e q u e s t i o n n a i r e i n o rd e r: 1. To know w h e th e r th e te c h n ic a l program w i l l h e lp im prove th e stu d en t's work needs based on the stu d en t's perceptions. 2. To know w h e th e r more em p h asis h as been p u t on q u a n t i t a t i v e t r a i n i n g r a th e r th a n on q u a l i t a t i v e t r a i n i n g and w h e th e r more em phar i s s h o u ld be g iv e n to t e c h n i c a l p ro g r a m s b a s e d on th e s t u d e n t 's p e r c e p tio n s. 3. To know w hether the students b elieve th a t the present curric u lu m m eets t h e i r n eeds o r w h e th e r th e te c h n ic a l program w ould make a d ifferen ce in the lev e l of s a tis fa c tio n of work needs. 4. To know w h e th e r th e t e c h n i c a l p ro g ra m may n o t be h e l p f u l, a n d w h e th e r th e s t u d e n t s p r e f e r t e c h n i c a l c o u r s e s i n t h e p r e s e n t ju n io r c o l l e g e. 5. To know w h e th e r th e s tu d e n ts w i l l su p p o rt th e n o tio n o f th e college developing in to a fu lly tech n ical in s titu tio n.
S ignificance of the Study A c c o rd in g to th e S eco n d F iv e - Y e a r D e v e lo p m e n t P la n i n S a u d i A r a b i a ( M i n i s t r y o f P la n n in g, 1 9 7 5 ), th e c o n tin u e d n ee d f o r l a r g e - s c a l e e x p a n s io n o f th e n o n -S a u d i s e g m e n t o f th e l a b o r f o r c e w as becom ing more and more e v id e n t a s th e re q u ire m e n t f o r s k i ll e d w o rk ers i n c r e a s e d. The n a t i o n 's t o t a l e m p lo y m e n t w as e s t i m a t e d to h a v e in c re a s e d a t an a n n u a l r a te o f 6.6% d u rin g th e p e r io d 1970-1975. The a n n u a l r a te of in c r e a s e was ex p e c te d to a c c e le r a t e to 8.9% a n n u a lly d u rin g th e p e r io d 1975-1980 i f th e p r iv a te and p u b lic s e c to r s demand f o r l a b o r w e re to be m e t. I n th e p r i v a t e s e c t o r, m anpow er n e e d s in c re a s e d a t ab o u t 9.7% a n n u a lly d u rin g th e y e a rs 1975 to 1980 w h ile th at of the public sec to r increased by 15.9% to achieve the developm ent re q u ire m e n t. T h is m assiv e in c r e a s e in manpower needs had d i r e c t im p licatio n s fo r government and industry train in g program s. O w ing to th e f a c t t h a t t h e r e w e re h e a v y dem ands f o r s k i l l e d p e r s o n n e l, one way o f p ro v id in g such a re s o u rc e w ould be by u p g ra d in g th e e d u c a t i o n a l s y s te m. I n s u p p o r t o f t h i s p o i n t S in g e r (1 9 6 9 ) reported th at : The ty p e o f p o s t - s e c o n d a r y e d u c a t i o n a l i n s t i t u t i o n m o st g e n e r a l l y n e e d e d i n th e d e v e lo p in g c o u n t r i e s p r o b a b ly n e a r ly re se m b le s th e A m erican ju n io r and com m unity c o lle g e th a n th e fo u r y e a r c o lle g e. In a d d itio n to th e s i m i l a r i t y of o b je c tiv e s, p roducing educated people who can immedia t e ly be ab so rb ed by th e c r i t i c a l s k i ll e d manpower needs o f th e w id e r c o m m u n ity, th e U.S. j u n i o r c o l l e g e s an d th e developing country colleges face sim ila r problem s, (p. 14) In ad d itio n, Venn (1964) advocated th a t : As a technology upgrades the s k ills and knowledge req u irem e n ts o f th e j o b s, e d u c a t i o n ca n no lo n g e r be c o n f in e d to th e t r a d i t i o n a l tw e lv e, f o u r te e n o r s ix te e n y e a rs o f fo rm a l
schooling. The Departm ent of Labor p ro jec ts th at the avera g e y o u th o f to d a y w i l l p r o b a b ly s h i f t o c c u p a tio n s som e f i v e t i m e s o v e r th e n e x t f o r t y y e a r s he i s i n th e l a b o r m ark e t. A l i f e o f c o n tin u in g o c c u p a tio n a l a d ju s tm e n t w i l l m ean a l i f e o f c o n t i n u i n g e d u c a t i o n to m e e t c h a n g e d o r ad d itio n al educational requirem ents, (p. 26) To m eet th e demand f o r m id d le l e v e l m anpower, Saudi A ra b ia needs g ra d u a te te c h n ic ia n s and m anagers a t th e m id d le l e v e l. The e d u c a tio n and d e v e lo p m e n t o f m id d le l e v e l m anpow er i s a g r e a t e d u c a t i o n a l r e s p o n s ib i l i ty. N ot o n ly do we n e e d m ore p e o p le m ovin g i n t o s k i l l e d an d t e c h n i c a l o c c u p a t i o n s b u t th e r i g h t k in d o f p e o p le ; n o t p o t e n t i a l e n g i n e e r s, n o t p o t e n t i a l m e c h a n ic s, b u t th o s e whose a b i l i t y and a p t i t u d e s u i t them b e s t f o r th e s e l e v e ls o f w ork. In an economy w hich a llo w s fe w e r m ista k e s and in Wtiich an i n t e l l i g e n t and s y s te m a tic m atch in g o f o u r human t a l e n t s and m anpower r e q u ir e m e n ts becom es c r u c i a l, th e b e s t m id d le le v e l m anpower m ust be so u g h t o u t and d ev e lo p ed, be i t a g e tw e n ty - o n e o r f i f t y - o n e, w h ite o r N e g ro, m a le o r f e m a le, r u r a l o r u r b a n, w e a lth y o r p o o r. (V enn, 1 9 6 4, p. 1 35) C onsidering the in creasin g demand fo r train e d personnel in techn ic a l and m id d le m anagem ent and l i m i t e d e d u c a tio n a l i n s t i t u t i o n s f o r s u p p ly in g th e d em a n d, t h i s s t u d y i s s i g n i f i c a n t b e c a u s e i t w i l l e s t a b l i s h th e d e g r e e o f i n t e r e s t i n t e c h n i c a l t r a i n i n g an d l a y th e groundw ork f o r o th e r r e s e a r c h e r s to i n v e s t i g a t e w h e th e r th e te c h n ic a l t r a i n i n g w o u ld be a b l e to f i l l i n th e n e e d f o r l a c k o f s k i l l e d manpower. S in c e th e p ro g ram s a r e a t th e in f a n t s ta g e, th e p rogram s s h o u ld be t a u g h t i n t h e e x i s t i n g j u n i o r c o l l e g e s a lo n g w i t h th o s e s t u d e n t s p r e p a r i n g t h e m s e lv e s f o r e le m e n ta ry s c h o o l te a c h in g as to p ro v id e and enhance c u r r e n t p rogram s and g iv e th e p o p u la tio n o f th e colleges a w ider range of choices.
S audi A ra b ia i s u n d e rg o in g and p la n n in g a v ery r a p id and e x te n s i v e i n d u s t r i a l i z a t i o n. The c o u n tr y i s t r y i n g i t s b e s t t o e f f e c t i v e l y u s e i t s hum an an d n a t u r a l r e s o u r c e s, p r o v id e d by God, to r e p l a c e to a c e r t a i n e x t e n t i t s d e p e n d e n c e on o i l, th e one m a jo r d e p le ta b le re s o u rc e i t h a s, so as to b roaden th e econom ic base and to s e r v e th e f u tu r e g e n e r a tio n s, w h ile s im u lta n e o u s ly m a in ta in in g a h ig h r a t e o f econom ic g ro w th. T oday's te c h n o lo g y c o n tin u o u s ly in c r e a s e s th e demand f o r m id d le l e v e l manpower, and th e e s ta b lis h m e n t o f te c h n ic a l tr a i n i n g program s in th e ju n io r c o lle g e s m ight a s s i s t th e governm ent in m ee tin g t h i s demand and le s s e n th e dependence on fo r e ig n la b o r. Summary of C hapter I T h is c h a p t e r i n t r o d u c e d th e p ro b le m o f th e n ee d f o r t r a i n e d p e r s o n n e l i n t e c h n i c a l an d m id d le m an a g em en t am ong S a u d i A r a b ia n a t i o n a l s. The p u rp o se o f t h i s stu d y was to e s t a b l i s h th e d eg ree o f i n t e r e s t f o r d e v e lo p in g new te c h n ic a l i n s t r u c t i o n a l p rogram s a t T a if J u n io r C o lle g e. D egree o f i n t e r e s t was d e f in e d as 66.6% re sp o n se s in a g re e m e n t, o r s tro n g ag reem e n t on 66.6% o f th e ite m s. F re q u e n c ie s of re s p o n s e s to ite m s w ere ta b u la te d, and th o se ite m s f o r w hich th e tw o - t h i r d s m a jo r ity e x is te d w ere used a s th e i d e n t i f i c a t i o n o f d e g re e o f i n t e r e s t as seen by re sp o n d e n ts.
CHAPTER II REVIEW OF SELECTED LITERATURE In troduction I n S a u d i A r a b ia, e d u c a t i o n i s one s e c t o r o f th e econom y w h ic h has su cceed e d in d ra w in g governm ent a t t e n t i o n. P r io r to 1926, m odern f o r m a l e d u c a t i o n d id n o t e x i s t i n th e K ingdom. As a r e s u l t o f th e d is c o v e r y o f o i l and th e ex p a n sio n o f th e governm ent b u re a u c ra c y, th e need f o r e d u c a te d p e r s o n n e l began to r i s e. A lthough change has come slow ly, pure and hard sciences have begun to emerge w ithin the fram e w ork o f th e e d u c a tio n a l sy ste m, w ith c o n tin u e d em p h asis on th e o lo g y, so c ia l stu d ie s, and hum anities. Econom ists have long argued about the re la tio n sh ip between educ a tio n and n a tio n a l d e v e lo p m e n t. T here i s no c l e a r - c u t i n d ic a to r o f th e e f f e c tiv e n e s s o f e d u c a tio n in a c c e le r a t i n g n a tio n a l d e v e lo p m e n t, b u t A l-r a w i (1 9 7 4 ) a r g u e d : " C o m p re h e n s iv e e d u c a t i o n a c c e l e r a t e s n a t i o n a l d e v e lo p m e n t p l a n s, w h ic h, i n t u r n, r a i s e s th e s t a n d a r d o f e d u c a t i o n. A d v e r s e ly, i l l i t e r a c y an d a b s e n c e o f a w a r e n e s s c r e a t e b a c k w a r d n e s s an d h i n d e r th e e x e c u tio n o f co m p re h en siv e developm ent p la n s " (p. 4 6 1 ). In any case, developing countries seem eager to fu rth e r educatio n a l developm ent. Cookey (1976) s ta te d : "One reaso n why many d e v e lo p in g c o u n tr ie s show g r e a t r e a d in e s s to spend a la r g e p o r tio n o f t h e i r a n n u a l b u d g e ts on e d u c a t i o n i s t h a t th e y h o p e e d u c a t i o n a l 10
11 e x p a n sio n w i l l e v e n tu a lly le a d to a g r e a t e r su p p ly o f manpower f o r n atio n al development" (p. 223). E ducational Development In 1965, a Suprem e E d u c a tio n a l C o u n cil was form ed to s u p e r v is e a l l m a t t e r s p e r t a i n i n g to e d u c a t i o n. The c o u n c i l w as co m p o sed o f v a r io u s i n t e r m i n i s t e r i a l b o d ie s and was headed by th e d ep u ty p rim e m in is te r. In Ja n u a ry 1969, th e c o u n try is s u e d f o r th e f i r s t tim e i t s form al educational policy statem ent publicly. The statem ent of educ a t i o n a l p o l i c y i s g e n e r a l i n n a t u r e. I t c o n s i s t s o f n in e p a r t s t o t a l i n g 236 a r t i c l e s. The f o l l o w i n g p a r a g r a p h s c o n t a in a b r i e f an aly sis of the policy and its re la tio n sh ip to so ciety 's needs. P a rt I o f th e e d u c a tio n a l p o lic y i s e n t i t l e d "G eneral P r in c ip le s o f E d u catio n " ( A r tic le s 1 to 27). S ev en te en bro ad s ta te m e n ts o f t h i s s e c tio n a r e d ev o te d to Is la m as th e b a s is o f th e e d u c a tio n a l sy stem in th e Kingdom. The r e s t o f th e a r t i c l e s d e a l w ith th e e s s e n t i a l s o f e d u c a t i o n and how th e I s l a m i c c o m m u n ity s h o u ld p r o f i t fro m i t. Hammad (1 9 7 3 ), i n d i s c u s s i n g t h e s e a r t i c l e s, s t a t e d, "M ost o f th e a r t i c l e s a r e vag u e, b ro a d ly s t a t e d and r e p e t i t i v e. M oreover, even i f th e r e a r e some a r t i c l e s w hich a r e im p le m e n ta b le, no a tte m p t i s made to s p e c i f y th e a u t h o r i t y r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t h e i r i m p le m e n ta tio n " (p. 1 7 8 ). P a r t I I, "The P u rp o s e and G e n e ra l O b j e c t iv e s o f E d u c a tio n," c o v e r s 34 a r t i c l e s ( A r t i c l e s 28 t o 6 1 ). L ik e P a r t I, P a r t I I a l s o e m p h a siz es th e e sse n c e o f th e I s la m ic r e li g i o n and i t s c o n tr ib u tio n s t o th e i n d i v i d u a l an d c o m m u n ity. H o w e v e r, P a r t I I d e a l s a l s o w i t h
m o re s p e c i f i c i d e a s, su c h a s p h y s i c a l an d p s y c h o l o g i c a l f i t n e s s o f the stu d en t, values of vocational education, and the in te rre la tio n s h ip b etw e en e d u c a tio n and s o c ie ty. P a r t I I I, " O b j e c ti v e s o f th e V a rio u s S ta g e s o f E d u c a tio n " ( A r t i c l e s 6 2-1 1 5 ), d e a l s w i t h th e v a r io u s f u n c t i o n s o f e a c h e d u c a t i o n a l s t a g e fro m k i n d e r g a r t e n to h i g h e r e d u c a t i o n. E ach l e v e l i s c h a r a c t e r i z e d by c e r t a i n t r a i t s, r e q u ir e m e n t s, and an o r i e n t a t i o n t h a t s h o u ld be m et i n o r d e r f o r th e i n d i v i d u a l s t u d e n t to r e c e i v e proper educational and s o c ia l upbringing. P a r t s IV, V, V I, V I I, V I I I, an d IX d e a l w ith t e c h n i c a l i t i e s, s u c h a s r u l e s an d r e g u l a t i o n s o f e d u c a t i o n a l p l a n n in g, f i n a n c e, f a c ilitie s, and o ther general provisions. Hammad (1973), in e v a lu a tin g th e s ta te m e n ts o f th e Saudi A rab ian e d u c a t i o n a l p o l i c y, i n d i c a t e d t h a t th e r e a s o n s f o r th e p o l i c y 's g e n e r a l i t y may have been to make i t f l e x i b l e enough to (a ) accommod a t e d i f f e r e n t p o i n t s o f v ie w, (b ) a p p ly i n a l l th e s e p a r a t e e d u c a t i o n a l d e p a rtm e n ts w ith v a ry in g i n t e r p r e t a t i o n s, and (c ) s a t i s f y a l l e d u c a tio n a l a u t h o r i t i e s (p. 216). Some m o n th s a f t e r th e e d u c a t i o n a l p o l i c y w as a n n o u n c e d, th e F irs t Development Plan (1970-1975) was publicly approved. The sig n i f ic a n c e o f th e F i r s t D evelopm ent P la n was th a t i t was an o f f i c i a l document th at m irrored the country 's public policy. Among its proj e c t e d g o a l s, th e F i r s t D e v e lo p m e n t P la n a d v o c a te d e d u c a t i o n and t r a i n i n g a s th e m eans f o r th e n a t i o n 's o v e r a l l d e v e lo p m e n t. T h u s, f o r th e f i r s t t i m e, s e r i o u s p la n n in g f o r m anpow er a c h ie v e m e n t w as o f f i c i a l l y e n d o r s e d. A n o t h e r i m p o r t a n t s t e p i n t h e o v e r a l l
fo r m u la tio n o f th e K ingdom 's e d u c a tio n a l p o l i c i e s came in th e Second Development P lan, 1975-1980. In in d icatin g th a t education and tra in in g a r e th e m ain v e h ic le s th ro u g h w hich e n lig h te n e d manpower can be s e c u re d, th e Second D evelopm ent P la n d id, how ever, m en tio n some s o r t o f an a d m in is tr a tiv e m ech an ism th r o u g h w h ic h c o n s t a n t e v a l u a t i o n, s tu d y, and e d u c a tio n a l p la n n in g f o r th e p ro b lem s o f human re s o u rc e s o f th e c o u n tr y c a n be a n a ly z e d ( M i n i s t r y o f P la n n in g, 1 9 75, p. 2 5 8 ). From th e tim e o f th e e s ta b lis h m e n t o f th e M in is tr y o f E d u c a tio n, e d u c a t i o n i n S a u d i A r a b ia h a s p r o g r e s s e d g r e a t l y b o th i n te r m s o f s t u d e n t e n r o ll m e n t a s w e l l a s i n e d u c a t i o n a l f a c i l i t i e s. The 236 p oints of the educational policy of 1969 are indeed a basic foundat i o n f o r th e ty p e o f e d u c a t i o n th e S a u d i s o c i e t y w a n ts f o r f u t u r e g e n e r a t i o n s. The e m p h a s is on e d u c a t i o n an d t r a i n i n g in th e tw o dev e lo p m e n t p la n s i s e x p e c te d to p roduce c e r t a i n a l t e r a t i o n s in th e c o u r s e o f e d u c a t i o n a l p la n n in g an d th e q u a l i t y o f th e c o u n t r y 's f u t u r e e d u c a t i o n a l s y s te m. T h e se c h a n g e s a r e i m p e r a ti v e i f S a u d i A r a b ia i s to s u c c e s s f u l l y a c h ie v e i t s g o a l o f e m p lo y in g q u a l i f i e d lo ca l manpower. The Second Five-Y ear Development Plan, 1975-1980, again emphas iz e d th e v i t a l r o le o f d e v e lo p in g human re s o u rc e s th ro u g h e d u c a tio n an d t r a i n i n g to a c c o m m o d a te r e q u ir e m e n t s f o r s k i l l e d p e r s o n n e l i n fu tu re plans through the 1980s. Manpower i n S audi A r a b ia, 1980-1985 S i n c l a i r an d B ir k s (1 9 8 2 ) m e n tio n e d t h a t S a u d i A r a b ia s h a r e s s e v e r a l la b o r-m a rk e t c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s w ith o th e r c a p i t a l - r i c h s t a t e s
in th e Arab re g io n. I t s n a tio n a l work f o r c e (d iv id e d b etw e en S au d is and n o n -S au d is) i s r e l a t i v e l y s m a ll, th e n a tio n a l p a r t i c i p a t i o n r a t e i s lo w a s fe w women w ork in m o d ern s e c t o r a c t i v i t i e s, an d th e maj o r i t y o f S a u d is a r e i n a d e q u a t e l y e d u c a te d. The eco n o m y r e l i e s h e a v ily on e x p a t r i a t e la b o r, b o th q u a n t i t a t i v e l y an d q u a l i t a t i v e l y. N on-saudis ten d to d o m in ate th e c o n s tr u c tio n and m a n u fa c tu rin g s e c t o r s, w h e re a s S a u d is w o rk m a in ly i n a g r i c u l t u r e o r i n s e r v i c e s, m o s tly governm ent o r q u a si-g o v e rn m e n t em ploym ent. In ex a m in in g th e r e la t io n s h i p betw een econom ic grow th and manpower in S audi A ra b ia, t h i s d i s t i n c t i o n b e tw e e n S a u d i an d n o n -S a u d i w o r k e r s i s c r u c i a l (p. 1 6 2 ). S in c l a i r and B irk s (1982) added t h a t th e n a tio n a l la b o r m ark e t i s now d i v i d e d b e tw e e n th o s e l i v i n g an d w o rk in g i n r u r a l a r e a s t h e r e f o r e, m a in ly w o r k in g i n t r a d i t i o n a l in fo rm a l a c t i v i t i e s and th o s e who have e n te re d th e m odern economy, who a r e fo r m a lly em ployed, a n d who te n d to l i v e i n u rb a n a r e a s. T h is d i v i s i o n o f th e n a t i o n a l l a b o r m a rk e t c a n be i l l u s t r a t e d by th e f o l l o w i n g s t a t i s t i c s. In 1 9 6 3, som e 4 7 5,0 0 0 e c o n o m ic a lly a c t i v e n a t i o n a l s w e re r e c o r d e d a s b e in g " a g r ic u ltu r a l w o rk e rs an d B e d o u in," r e p r e s e n t i n g som e 72% o f th e n a t i o n a l w o rk f o r c e. E le v e n y e a r s l a t e r (1 9 7 4 ), 52% o f th e n a t i o n a l w o rk f o r c e w e re r e c o r d e d a s w o r k in g i n " a g r i c u l t u r e an d fishing." During th at tim e the secto r changed re la tiv e ly l i t t l e. Over th a t 1 1 -y e a r p e r io d (1963-74), u rb a n la b o r m a rk e ts sp ra n g up w hich r e q u ir e d w o rk ers o f a l l ty p e s and l e v e ls, who w ere p re p a re d to a c c e p t p o o r w o rk in g c o n d i t i o n s. A l a r g e n u m ber o f S a u d is w e re n e i t h e r q u a l i f i e d to p a r t i c i p a t e i n th e s e la b o r m a rk e ts b ec au se o f
t h e i r l a c k o f m o d ern s e c t o r e x p e r i e n c e, n o r w e re w i l l i n g to e n d u r e lo n g w o r k in g h o u r s. N e ith e r w e re th e y a b l e to pay th e h ig h r e n t s n e c e s s a ry to s e c u re h o u sin g in u rb a n a r e a s. Many e le m e n ts d e te rre d t h e i r le a v in g r u r a l a r e a s f o r th e tow ns. At th e same tim e, a c c e ss to h o u sin g g r a n ts, a g r i c u l t u r a l lo a n s, and o th e r cash b e n e f its a v a ila b le a s la r g e as in r u r a l a r e a s se rv e d as a v e ry s tr o n g econom ic in c e n tiv e to farm ers to re ta in th e ir ru ra l lif e sty le. P a r a d o x ic a lly, th e g o v ern m e n t's r e c e n t, i.e., 1980-85, a tte m p ts to tra n s f o rm fa rm in g in S audi A rab ia ( o th e r th a n by i n s t i g a t i n g m ajo r l a r g e - s c a l e p r o j e c t s, e.g., i r r i g a t i o n sy ste m s) th ro u g h th e e x te n sio n o f lo a n s and g r a n ts to s m a ll fa rm e rs w ith th e o b je c t o f a id in g t h e i r m echanization and m odernization have been in stru m en tal in the p reserv a t i o n o f a s u b s i s t e n c e - b a s e d t r a d i t i o n a l r u r a l s e c t o r. F o r many r e a s o n s lo a n s and g r a n t s ta k e n by f a r m e r s a r e n o t a lw a y s u s e d f o r in v e s t m e n t p u r p o s e s a n d a r e o f t e n s p e n t on p e r s o n a l n e e d s. I f i n v e s t e d, th e n th e c a p i t a l so p r o v id e d re m a in s u n d e r u tiliz e d, e i t h e r b e c a u s e o f p o o r m an a g em en t o r f o r w a n t o f s u f f i c i e n t l a b o r i n p u t s. Thus g r a n ts and lo a n s to fa rm e rs d ir e c te d to w ard in v e s tm e n t in s m a llscale ag ric u ltu re, are taken as income by the farm ers. An im p o r t a n t r e a s o n b e h in d m any S a u d i A r a b ia n s ' r e l u c t a n c e to e n t e r a w id e r a n g e o f e m p lo y m e n t i n th e m o d ern s e c t o r, i n c l u d i n g m a n u a lly s tr e n u o u s j o b s, i s r e l a t e d t o t r i b a l c u s to m and c u l t u r a l s t a t u s. L ife on th e fa rm s and in nom adic camps i s n o t s tre n u o u s f o r th e m en, n o t s u b j e c t t o th e r i g o r o u s d i s c i p l i n e a s s o c i a t e d w ith modern secto r employment, and are not ordered by im personal au th o rit i e s t h a t th e trib e s m e n have l i t t l e re a s o n o r i n c l i n a t i o n to r e s p e c t.
S au d is who have e n te re d th e m odern s e c to r have ten d e d to do so in s e le c te d o c c u p a tio n s. The econom ic s e c to r s t h a t a r e p o p u la r w ith S au d is a r e s e r v ic e s, t r a n s p o r t a t i o n, c o m m u n ic a tio n s, and t r a d e and f in a n c e. Q u ite n a t u r a l ly th e governm ent a d m in is tr a tio n a t t r a c t s many S a u d is a s i t d o e s i n v i r t u a l l y a l l A r a b - r ic h s t a t e s. T ra d e and f in a n c e i s a ls o a n a t u r a l a c t i v i t y, f o r many S au d is a r e tr a d e r s and m erc h an ts by fa m ily t r a d i t i o n. I n d u s t r i a l em ploym ent, w ith th e e x c e p tio n o f th a t w ith in th e o i l in d u s tr y, i s n o t p o p u la r among S a u d is. N e ith e r i s th e c o n s t r u c t i o n i n d u s t r y p o p u l a r, and i t i s t h e s e tw o s e c t o r s, i n d u s t r y an d c o n s t r u c t i o n, i n w h ic h many m ig r a n ts w ork (S in c la ir & B irks, 1982, p. 163). Table 3 gives a summary of employm ent by econom ic s e c to r and n a t i o n a l i t y. The T h ir d F iv e - Y e a r P la n ( M i n i s t r y o f P la n n in g, 1980) m akes e x p l i c i t governm ent c o n c e rn o v er th e e x te n t o f " u n d e r u tiliz e d " manp o w e r i n th e r u r a l s e c t o r o f th e eco n o m y. Much i n v e s t m e n t i s d i rected toward in fra s tru c tu ra l development in ru ra l areas, the extens i o n o f s c h o o l i n g, t h e p r o v i s i o n o f l o w - c o s t h o u s in g, an d th e im provem ent o f a g r ic u l tu r e. A ll th e s e a r e d e sig n e d to f a c i l i t a t e a w id e r and d e e p e r le v e l o f p a r t i c i p a t i o n in th e m odern economy by th e n a tio n a l p o p u la tio n. T here a r e s ig n s th a t th e governm ent i s e n jo y in g s u c c e s s i n t h i s r e g a r d ; th e e x t e n s i o n o f e d u c a t i o n to r u r a l a r e a s a lo n e w i l l be o f g ro w in g im p a c t. W hile g r e a t e r e m p h a sis i s p u t on n a tio n a l p a r t i c i p a t i o n, a t th e sam e tim e i n d u s t r i a l d e v e lo p m e n t w i l l a l s o ta k e p l a c e. N a tio n a l d i s i n c l i n a t i o n t o p a r t i c i p a t e a t th e p r e s e n t tim e i n i n d u s t r i a l v e n t u r e s th u s e n c o u r a g e s an d r e q u i r e s t h a t m i g r a n t s b e e m p lo y e d.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission. Economic secto r T ab le 3 Employment by Economic S ector and N a tio n a lity, 1975 T o ta l number em ployed N a tio n a ls Number employed % N o n -N atio n als Number employed % A griculture and fish in g 585,550 530,650 51.7 54,900 7.6 M ining and quarrying 27,000 15,400 1.5 11,600 1.6 M an u factu rin g 65,900 21,550 2.1 44,350 6.1 U t i l i t i e s 20,350 7,200 0.7 13,150 1.8 C onstruction 239,300 35,900 3.5 203,400 28.1 T rade and fin a n c e 204,200 6 5,700 6.4 138,500 19.1 T ransport and communications 103,800 72,900 7.1 30,900 4.3 S ervices 503,700 277,100 27.0 226,600 31.4 T otals 1,749,800 1,026,400 100.0 723,400 100.0 N o te. From "Manpower i n Saudi A ra b ia, 1980-1 9 8 5," by C. A. S in c l a i r & J. S. B ir k s, Ch. 14 in S au d i A ra b ia : E n erg y, D evelopm ent, P la n n in g and I n d u s t r i a l i z a t i o n ( p. 1 6 3 ), e d ite d by R. E l M allakh & D. H. El M allakh (1982), Toronto : Lexington Books.