TheRole of Administrator towards the new Curriculum in Saudi Arabia
Obstacles
Manyobstacles jeopardize the success of the project. The chief among themis the consent of the authorities. Galvanizing the community andfinding greater support would also pose challenges. Leadership has animmense role to play in making this project a success. A weak schoolleadership could also be a setback to the prosperity of this plan.Sometimes an all-inclusive plan tends to consume time when it comesto the decision-making process. Therefore, the project would alsosuffer regarding time management. No single project can run without ahealthy financial backing. In that respect, funds will be anotherobstacle that can inhibit progression of this project. Culture canalso pose a huge threat to the advancement of this project.
Asillustrated above, the authorities have an immense role to play.Achieving reforms would require their maximum support from inceptionto the dissemination of services. The body has the final say on whenand how the curriculum should be altered. The authority also needs toalter some laws to suit the project application. In that regard,consent of the authorities is paramount for the project success.Galvanizing a community that is deeply entrenched in cultural beliefsis a challenging undertaking. Parents have to be deeply involved intheir children’s education, and so does the government. An academiccommunity is advantageous to the entire nation. Some communities donot understand the benefits of having a learned society. Hence, theyrarely involve themselves in matters pertaining education, whetherthey have children in the system or not. Therefore, convincing suchparents to support the improvement of the curriculum could be ahectic ordeal. Additionally, the community has to be on the same pageregarding the project. The success of the plan requires peacefulco-existence of the community members. Personal issues among thesociety members may deter the progression of this noble project.
Schoolleadership is another core component of the project. Most schoolleaders are involved in keeping watch of the management rather thanassisting in the improvement of the curriculum. If the leader is notstrong enough, then the project may suffer considerably. A weakleader will find it hard to assess the current curriculum, proposealterations, and strategize on how it can be implemented. Poorleadership will also fail to bring all the respective stakeholdersinto play. Impotence of the leadership could also deter the formationof a strong ATP to implement the plan. The tasks bestowed on theleader are quite crucial to the success of the program, andtherefore, poor leadership could be injurious it.
Anothercore obstacle entails culture. Though communities have beenconsistently enlightened on the benefits of education, some sectsstill find it to accept change. In a nation that is deeply rooted inculture i.e. tradition and faith, preaching change may hit a deadwall. Some people are resistant to modernity and all the alterationsthat time brings. Some families do not see the value of educatingtheir kids. For instance, gender inequality is engraved into thesocial and governmental structures and is core to the nation’sstate-supported understanding of Islam. Parents, especially men havenot embraced girl-child education and its benefits to the communityand the country as a whole. As a matter of fact, in issuing religiousideologies, state-funded scholars avoid contemplation of currentsocial contexts, so that they resist pressure for change. Anotherperspective of culture entails elements within the curriculum. Thestudy of Islam dominates the school curriculum. For example, thestudents memorize vast parts of the Qur’an, interpret andunderstand it. They are supposed to apply whatever is entailed in theQur’an in their daily lives. The subject is also compulsory at allinstitutions of learning including the universities. The Saudi youthsare depleted of technical and entrepreneurial skills. The curriculumdoes neither foster innovation nor creativity which are quite crucialto development. Asking such a society to back a change in thecurriculum will be quite hectic.
Solicitingthe community to back the project may bring about other hindrances,especially regarding time. The project requires that views from theentire community be taken into consideration. Though decisionsattained in the process are quite accurate, it would betime-consuming. Members of the community, teachers and the studentshave different ideologies regarding the curriculum. Taking all theconsiderations into play will be injurious to the project in terms oftime management. Though my project is mainly based on developingcreativity and excellence of faculty members, other aspects ofimproving the curriculum ought to be considered. For instance, howthe project will benefit scientific research and the establishment ofcenters within the societies. Therefore, time could be an obstacle ifnot well managed. Financial assistance is another core component tothe success of this project. The plan could suffer immensely due tofinancial constraints. If all the stakeholders lack coordination,they could desist from providing funds necessary for the project torun smoothly. Therefore, the project needs a sound financial backingto run smoothly without enormous hiccups that could prevent it fromachieving the prospected targets.
Consentfrom authorities, community support, finances, culture, and time willpose a significant threat to the prosperity of this project. Thoughother obstacles may exist, the above elements could be quitedetrimental to the success of the program.
Resources
Thegovernment could be a major resource for the whole project. It canprovide resources in several of ways if well incorporated in theplan. An example is, the income earned from petroleum and itsproducts, the government can provide substantial resources to supportthe plan. Garnering enough funds will require the government tochampion transparency so that funds allocated towards improving thecurriculum are not embezzled.
Theinclusion of big companies into the plan could be another way ofgathering resources. For example, approaching Saudi Aramco with aview of making them partners may be fundamental in acquiring funds.School leaders will be tasked with convincing companies that can chipin support in various capacities. Successful realization of thisproject would require support from such sects. An improved andeducated population will provide enough manpower to the oilindustries. In that regard, manufacturers are required to supportchanges in the curriculum for their benefit. Instead of importingworkforce, they could be in the forefront championing for change inthe curriculum to boost availability of workers. If the industriessee the vitality of these changes, then they will provide therequired resources to make it a reality.
Thewhole project could benefit from the successful cooperation of thecommunity. Once parents and families have accepted the changes, theywill offer support in monetary terms. A plan can be derived toindulge parents and society members in making contributions towardsthe project. To make it more effective, students would be required toask their parents for contributions. A standard value could also beput in place so that the community contributes wholesomely to theproject regarding funds.
Anothersource of funds is the international agencies. The universe isstriving to achieve equality in all aspects. International bodies areattempting to make the entire globe livable by upgrading the minoritygroups in the society. Apart from that, they are in the vanguardtrying to change culture perspectives in different countries. Sincethe Saudi Arabia curriculum has received criticism from variousinternational bodies, presentation of an alternative mechanism willmost likely garner support. The assistance may be regarding offinances among other helpful means.
Budget
Budgetingis an essential part of any project. An imperfectly estimated projectdoes not stand a chance in the current economy. In that regard,budgeting will be done in a manner that covers all the sectionsadequately. The process will entail classifying all the entitiesinvolved in improving the education system. For example, the ATP andschool leaders.
Theschool leader is tasked with so many functions that require adequatefunds. She has to come up with an Action Team for Partnership,approach various companies to ask for their support among others.While she traverses through various companies, the leaders must bewell equipped in all aspects including finances. Funds must also beaccorded for research. The leader is supposed to examine the currentcurriculum, ascertain where change is appropriate and then devisemechanisms of improving the same. In that regard, funds are necessaryto conduct adequate research.
TheATP also needs a considerable amount of funds to ensure the smoothrunning of the project. For them to ascertain where alterations arenecessary, it requires research. Implementing the changes also needdiverse knowledge on the additions. The ATP in collaboration with theschool leader will also be convening meetings within the community.They, therefore, require some funds to run the meetingsappropriately.
Fundsmust also be set aside to cater for rewards. As earlier illustrated,if the project succeeds, various contributors will be rewardedaccordingly. The rewards may be in different forms all of whichemanate from finances. Though it is not a mandatory undertaking,awarding success boosts the morale of the people involves. Since theproject may require partnerships with various bodies such asinternational agencies and companies, funds must be channeled towardshiring a lawyer. The individual will be involved in contract signingswhenever it is required. Some corporations and international bodiesoffer partnerships only through contracts. The services of a lawyerto help us through the process will be needed and so do funds tonecessitate the same.
Tobetter disseminate education, more qualified staff ought to beemployed. The budget will cater for new teachers who areknowledgeable in the various fields. The educators will be taskedwith implementing additions into the curriculum. Though the currentcrop of teachers is doing a good job teaching with limited resourcesand knowledge, there is a need to add more qualified staff. Theprocess will also require a considerable amount of funds to befruitful.
Thecore objective of this project is to develop creativity andexcellence of faculty members. In that regard, they need to receivefurther training and education to disseminate knowledge efficiently.Facilities must be provided for them to undertake training. Forinstance, an educator in IT must be knowledgeable in that field. Ifhis/her current skills do not match the prospected levels, trainingmust be accorded for him to hit the required levels. In that respect,funds must be provided for training and educating the teachers.
Theentire community will also be educated on the various aspects of theproject. Apart from alleviating the obstacles culture brings, thesociety must be well educated on the benefits of a well-learnedcommunity. Funds will be provisioned to cater for the education andtraining of the parents and families and the entire society as awhole. By offering training, the community will be supportive of theproject. The parents and families will feel they are part of theprogram and offer their support.
Fundsmust also be diverted to the organization or group providingoversight. A successful implementation plan must have a group ofindividuals ensuring things run in an appropriate manner. Theoversight committee would ensure all the programs run accordingly. Itdoes not have to be the ATP. Instead, an external group can be put inplace to monitor the project progress. Tracking how the funds areused in the different fields will be tasked on the particular group.In that respect, they require adequate funding to carry out theirdaily undertakings.
Thebudget will also cater for further research on this particularproject. It is not yet perfect and more can be done to improve it. Asa matter of fact, more has to be done to make Saudi Arabia curriculumeven better. And as a way of ensuring that further research isconducted to improve on the same, funds will be set aside.
Conclusion
Makingthe project a reality may be a complex undertaking. However, the zealto achieve success overwhelms the fear to fail. An effective planmust include governance. Leadership is not left to the peoplegoverning the country. Instead, it is inclusive of universitystudents down to primary schools. Leaders in the particular fieldsmust be well educated to provide a connection between institutionsand the community as a whole. If the university leaders improvethemselves, they can influence the rest of the students to followsuit. They would then link the community i.e. parents to achievebetter results. In fact, there is will from students to have a bettereducation system. Otherwise, migrations to other developed countriescould not be happening. Even the people have appreciated the need tobe well-equipped in education matters.
Inthis particular project, student leaders have an immense role toplay. They are involved from the inception until the end of theprogram. She would be able to link the authorities honestly, findpartners, engage the opposition, and deal with emerging issues as theproject continues. As explained by Heifetz and Linsky (2002), theyare vital to the adoption of the above elements. In that regard, theleadership has to be strong. Bringing the communities together toadopt the change in curriculum will be possible. The project alsorelies on the accuracy of the findings. Since the leader has toexamine the current curriculum and establish where change is needed,cooperation is highly required. It is, therefore, possible toconvince the leaders to partake her duties diligently.
Garneringsupport from the various companies will be quite a hectic ordeal.Investors put a lot of money in businesses that have substantialreturns. The project is not intended to make profits or ratherimprove the quality of education. In that regard, obtaining fundsfrom such companies would be quite hard. Apart from that, some peopledo not have the passion for giving back to the society. Convincingsuch a group to offer financial support let alone moral support isnot easy.
Asillustrated above, five aspects are mandatory in constructingpositive schools, family, and communities i.e. creating an ATP,obtaining funds and support, identify starting points, develop a yearplan, continue evaluating and improving programs. Achieving all theabove aspects is quite critical to the whole project. In thisparticular project, there is a high chance of building the communitywith the successful coordination between school leadership and theentire community. They would fund and help run the project in variouscapacities.
Thoughobstacles exist, the project is bound to succeed due to thedetermination to achieve the same. All the plans underlined like thecreation of an ATP, oversight group, and community incorporation willpropel the idea into achieving realism.
Reflections
Bringingthe concept into a reality is a complex undertaking. First of all, noone is sure all the parties would cooperate. It is not apparentwhether the funds would be available. And the culture could alsoresist change fiercely. However, this plan would try vigorously tomake each kids’ dream a reality.
Implementationwill be done bit by bit. If it succeeds in one, other resistingparties may be encouraged to join in to assist spontaneousapplication throughout the various institutions. The first pieceentails meeting the school leader and convincing her to accept thedetails of the project. With her support, other students will becalled upon to make various contributions. The project would bemainly composed of volunteers in different categories. For instance,when conducting research on the current system, full cooperationwould be required to ensure accuracy. The details are quite essentialin designing mechanisms to counter the shortfalls. By successfullyinstituting an ATP, project management will be simplified. The groupwould also be involved in bringing harmony between the institutionsand the society. Once the community is convinced, it will be easierto move to the other phases of enactment [ CITATION Sta04 l 1033 ].
Oncethe students, families, and the entire community are in harmony withthe project undertakings, funds drive entirely motivated by thestudents will be conducted. The leaders will approach companies aswell as the authorities to offer finances. The community would alsoprovide their contributions. The funds will determine how the projectprogresses. After budgeting, the respective groups would break downthe allocations and devise a timetable to govern operations.Education and training programs will commence with the belief thatall parties involved are cooperative. The student leader, ATP and theentire community will work hand in hand to implement the planefficiently.
Supportfrom international bodies is also paramount for successfulapplication of the plan. If necessary, a funds drive will beauthenticated to show the intensity and need for change. As developedby Kilgore (2011), the basic steps of implementing an action planentail [ CITATION Kat11 l 1033 ].
Current practices
Leadership team
Action planning
Implementation
Professional development
Family engagement
Application measures
Monitoring
Revision
Celebration
Theplan must incorporate almost all the above elements. The plan hasalready counterchecked the current practices and devised a leadershipteam through institution leaders. Adherence to all the componentswould ensure the project is successful.
References
Doumato, E. A. (2010). Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia, 1-33.
Human Rights Watch. (2015). World Report 2015: Saudi Arabia. Retrieved from World Report 2015: Saudi Arabia: https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2015/country-chapters/saudi-arabia
Kilgore, K. (2011). Ten Steps to Implementing Effective Inclusive Practices. A guide for school site leaders, 1-59.
State of Victoria. (2004). Implementing Change: Developing an action plan. Implementing Change: Developing an action plan, 41-74.