There is considerable research that shows that pre-kindergarten and kindergarten teachers who have relevant academic credentials, such as a degree in ECE, are more effective and more aware about ways to deal with children than less qualified peers (Sylva et al., 2003).
Gomez, Kagan, & Fox, (2015) reported similar results where a positive relationship was reported between academic qualifications of teachers and educational success of kindergarten children. Abry, et al., (2015) concluded that educational background and credentials of teachers in pre-school have significant positive contribution on the educational attainment of children. Teachers with a higher academic background were reported to be more effective for children’s academic adjustment and social adjustment. According to Ho, Lee, and Teng, (2016) when the number of teachers who are bachelor degree holders increases in school, the positive perceptions about the professional learning community also increase. The study also reported that teachers with higher educational background are more effective for the education system.
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This is an important aspect of early childhood education internationally, because as shown in the UK, qualifications are aligned with the quality of provision and children’s outcomes (Sylva et al., 2003). Although these connections have been made in international research, this topic needs to be explored further in KSA (Abry, et al., 2015).
Early childhoods teachers’ education in Saudi Arabia has changed from vocational settings to being university based. According to Al-Jadidi (2012), seventeen of the twenty-four public universities offer first degrees in early childhood education while only four training centres run by the Ministry of Education provide in-service teacher training. These training centres provide training and professional development for KG teachers, regardless of their qualifications.
As mentioned earlier in the Saudi context, there are in fact two types of early childhood teachers. The first includes qualified teachers who are trained to develop children’s knowledge and personality appropriately. On the other hand, the second type consists of teachers who are not qualified, yet are still teaching. This is because there is a shortage of early childhood teachers and when posts need to be filled, it is done at the expense of knowledge of children’s development. The main reason for the shortage of qualified teachers is the fact that only female teachers are hired and appointed as a kindergarten teacher, even if they are not qualified. It was explained above that the Saudi education system is segregated at all stages, except at kindergarten level, where male and female children are mixed in the same class. However, due to Saudi culture, only female teachers can teach children at the pre-school level.
The above-mentioned information is important to this research as it establishes the Saudi Arabian context and its education system for the reader. As a result, the reader will understand the Saudi context and appreciate the justification of the methodological choices I made, since what is culturally acceptable in one culture, might not be acceptable in another. These cultural specifics relate to religion, habits, customs, and taboos, which will help clarify some of the findings produced by this research. For example, it could explain why the available training programmes offered to teachers are provided on specific dates as the women in Saudi Arabia cannot commute freely during certain periods when it is
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unsafe or culturally unacceptable to do so. It could also help readers understand why Saudi in-service early education teachers perceive some issues in certain ways compared with similar studies from other countries (Almutairi, 2013).
2.6.1 Background of ECE teacher’s preparation in KSA
The preparation of early childhood teachers in KSA began with a number of individual efforts exemplified in the foundation of the Gulf Girl Charity Association in Al-Khobar, under the supervision of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs in the Kingdom (Al-Otaibi & Suwailem, 2002). The association began its first programme (1978/1979) in the city of Al-Khobar and then the process spread to other Saudi universities, such as King Saud University and the colleges of education, after the creation of a new discipline dedicated to training female teachers for pre-primary education (Almutairi,2013)
A decade ago, the number of qualified kindergarten teachers reached 873 Saudis and 32 non-Saudis, but the number of unqualified teachers has reached just 211 Saudis and 10 non-Saudis. The author would add that the number of educators with academic qualifications accounted for 121 Saudi and 450 non- Saudi teachers. She also added that teachers with no such qualifications in this sector totalled 762 Saudi and 821 non-Saudi (ibid). According to other statistics, in 2002, the number of early childhood teachers in other sectors was as follows: 28 in the Department of Defence, 42 in the National Guard, and 999 in the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (Al-Otaibi and Suwailem, 2002).
Rabaah, Doaa, & Asma, (2016) presented following table which summarises the growth of pre-kindergarten and kindergarten schools in Saudi Arabia from 1980. The study reported that in the beginning there were only 2,000 children and 166 teachers and other non-teaching staff in early 1980s but currently in 2013-2014, there are over 182,556 children in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten schools with more than 22,189 teachers working in 2559 schools. These statistics were obtained from King Khalid Database.
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Table 2.3 source: Rabaah, Doaa, & Asma (2016, p.5)
Furthermore, the study also reported that under the Ministry of Education there are approximately 1,400 public pre-kindergarten and kindergarten schools operating. However, the number of classes in the private sector schools (942 schools) is higher than public sector kindergarten schools and the enrolment rate in private sector schools is also higher. Furthermore, there are 232 schools administered by the Ministry of Social Affairs, and thus there are about 2,600 pre-kindergarten and kindergarten schools in total in the Kingdom. Following figure shows number of pre-kindergarten and kindergarten schools in all Saudi Arabia in 2013-14.
Figure 2.3 source: Rabaah, Doaa, & Asma, (2016.5).
The KSA has also sought to develop the expertise of early childhood teachers by launching training programmes and holding conferences to help raise standards, while terminating the contracts of temporary teaching staff (Almutairi, 2013).
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On the other hand, before 1994 there was no official curriculum or guidance for early year’s education despite the rise of the number of schools with kindergarten provision. In reality, every school independently developed their own teaching materials and curricula. In the early 1980s the efforts of UNESCO through several workshops demonstrated the need for kindergarten teaching education and unified curriculum across the kingdom (Doaa, & Asma, 2016). Hence, the idea of development of early childhood education in Saudi Arabia was formulated to ensure the continuity of development and the gradual expansion of teacher training cadres to include the largest number of kindergarten workers as supervisors, principals, teachers and administrators. Therefore, the first two centres were established in Jeddah and Riyadh in 1989- 1990 to serve their respective areas. Then, three other centres opened in the eastern region and two in Qassim, and the last one was established in the north of Saudi Arabia in the city of Hail in 2017. Samples of pages the in-service training centres in some of regions of KSA are shown in figures 2.4, 2.5 and 2.6.
Figure 2.4:Pieceofnewsaboutatrainingcentreforearlyyears’teachers’in Eastern region in Dammam city (opened on 1993: source).
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Figure 2.5: Training centre in Qassim, opened in 2013.
Figure 2.6: A classroom training centre in the North of Saudi Arabia in the city of Hail (opened in 2017) source: https://www.spa.gov.sa/1609391