Education in Riyadh City

Education in Riyadh City refers to the educational movement that aspires to equip students in Riyadh City, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with the basic information and skills they need to complete the educational stages, being kindergarten, primary education, secondary education, and university education, among others. It is offered via two systems: the governmental and private education.

Beginning of formal education

The establishment of the first formal school in Riyadh City dates back to 1930, with the establishment of the Princes' School. The General Directorate of Education in Riyadh Province is the authority responsible for general education affairs in the province, including Riyadh City. It supervises private and governmental schools and all their affiliated facilities.

Number of students

According to the official statistics of 2017, the total number of students in the universities of Riyadh City amounts to 250,637 students, including 108,351 male students in governmental universities and 122,647 female students. The number of students enrolled in private universities amounts to 9,854 male students and 9,758 female students.

Schools

The first governmental kindergarten was established in Riyadh City in 1966, to expand children's perceptions during early childhood, building their knowledge, and preparing them to join the more advanced stages of education. The schools of Riyadh are among Saudi Arabia's densest in terms of the number of students, with 1,026,691 students. According to the official statistics of 2017, the number of students in governmental schools amounts to 317,015 male students and 366,637 female students. The number of students in private schools amounts to 194,393 male students and 148,646 female students.

The total number of public education schools in Riyadh amounts to 3,343 schools, including 859 governmental schools for male students and 874 governmental schools for female students. The number of private education schools dedicated to male students amounts to 770 schools, in addition to 840 schools for female students.

Education of individuals with special needs

In 1997, the Special Education Division was established within the General Directorate of Education in Riyadh Province. The division's name was later modified into the Department of Special Education in 2008. The department oversees all the institutes and programs targeting special education students. It covers several specializations, including vision impairment, deafness and hearing loss, intellectual disabilities, autism, behavioral training, learning difficulties, multiple disabilities, motor impairment, motor impairment and mute disabilities, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Special education institutes

According to the statistics of 2015, the number of special education institutes in Riyadh city amounts to approximately 463 institutes in which around 8,863 students with special needs are enrolled. Learning difficulties institutes are among the most widespread special education institutes, with 287 institutes and 4,756 students.

Attention to gifted students

The educational system in Riyadh City allows for the development of talents among students. As such, a department entitled "Department for the Management of Gifted Students" has been established to identify gifted students in schools, care for them, and develop their skills. This objective is also set for King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity. The foundation offers several programs to gifted students across Saudi Arabia. It is located in Al-Raed Neighborhood, near King Saud University, west of Riyadh.

Illiteracy rates

Illiteracy rates in Riyadh city are low compared to other countries. The percentage of the population over fifteen years old who cannot read and write is about 4 percent of the total population. The average illiteracy rate in the cities of developed countries ranges between 3.1 and 4 percent.

The Departments of Male Adults Education and Female Adults Education, affiliated with the General Directorate of Education in Riyadh Province seek to decrease illiteracy rates. They also aim to enhance the education of adults among those who were not able to pursue education at an early age, where this is achieved via several programs, including A Literate Society Program, the Formal Literacy Program, and several supporting programs in various fields, including health, religion, education, and social fields.

Free education

Riyadh City adopts the same educational system applied throughout Saudi Arabia. As such, education is free within the scope of general education. It could be paid during higher education stages, except for students enjoying scholarships, among others. Tatweer Education Holding Company, a state-owned company, some of its affiliated companies, and the Education and Training Evaluation Commission (ETEC), concerned with determining the criteria for accrediting schools' curricula and tests and assessing their quality, contribute to the development of education curricula in Saudi Arabia.

Education facilities in Riyadh City may be accessed via several means of transportation, including public and private transportation, and school transportation services, available within all schools and supervised by the Ministry of Education.

University education facilities

Riyadh City houses five governmental universities: Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, King Saud University, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, the Saudi Electronic University, and the Riyadh University of Arts. It also has ten private universities and colleges, thus positioning Riyadh as one of the largest in terms of the number of universities and colleges in Saudi Arabia.

Educational choices

Educational choices vary in terms of academic education at all stages, namely throughout kindergarten, primary education, elementary education, secondary education, university education, higher studies, military education, and technical education. They also vary in terms of technical and vocational education. Saudi Arabia's first technical college was established in Riyadh in 1983, it is overseen by the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC), along with the Communications and Information College, established in 1968.

Riyadh City also houses several military colleges, including King Faisal Air Academy, King Khalid Military Academy, King Abdulaziz Military Academy, King Fahd Security College, and Naif Arab University for Security Sciences. Students from different cities and governorates of Saudi Arabia enroll in these establishments.

Education during the COVID-19 pandemic

During the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the educational system in Saudi Arabia shifted to online learning. Public education students in Riyadh attended their classes and performed their exams remotely through the “Madrasati” platform, whereas the Blackboard platform was dedicated to university education purposes.

Contribution of libraries to education

The first public library in Riyadh City was established in 1944 by Prince Musaid Bin Abdulrahman. He dedicated a wing of his palace to reading and appointed an employee to manage its affairs.

King Fahd National Library, located in Al-Olaya District, at the heart of the capital, Riyadh, contributes to fostering the scientific and research movement in favor of students and researchers in Riyadh. It houses references and information resources related to several fields and offers many digital resources within the framework of the Saudi Digital Library Project and Masdar Project.

Research centers and institutes

Riyadh City houses several research centers and institutes that contribute to research education. These establishments specialize in several fields, such as medicine, engineering, and humanities and social studies, among others. These establishments include the Research Center at King Saud Medical City, the research centers affiliated with King Saud University, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, and King Abdullah Institute for Nanotechnology.