Pandemic puts spotlight on special needs education in Saudi Arabia

According to the Saudi Education Ministry’s numbers in 2019, there are more than 76,000 special needs students in the Kingdom. (Shutterstock)
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Updated 13 February 2021
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Pandemic puts spotlight on special needs education in Saudi Arabia

  • Distance learning has posed great challenges in KSA but has also brought a rethink in approach

JEDDAH: Almost a year has passed since more than 6 million students in Saudi Arabia were sent home from school at the start of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak.

The shift to distance learning has been difficult for all children worldwide; however, it posed particular challenges for children with special needs, their families and their teachers.
According to the Saudi Education Ministry’s numbers in 2019, there are more than 76,000 special needs students in the Kingdom. These students are eligible for special education services designed to help them succeed in school. However, those services are not always easily transferred to distance learning or even in-person learning with social distancing.
“While the pandemic has definitely had an impact on everyone, face-to-face learning or direct therapeutic services are very important for special needs and disabled children,” Dr. Faisal Al-Nemary, chief operating officer at the Autism Center of Excellence (ACE), told Arab News.
Despite the challenges, the sudden shift to virtual education had a bright side too, as more parents are involved in their children’s educational process, and they are more aware of their role in helping their children improve their skills, said Al-Nemary, who is an adviser to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development on autism and disability-related issues.
“This is very important,” he said. “In the past, it used to be very difficult to get the family involved in the educational and therapy process. However, due to this urgent situation where children are no longer spending around 20 hours at school per week, parents have no choice but to get involved.
“We should capitalize in these challenging times by keeping the family more involved, because we know that the more the family
is involved, the greater the outcomes are.”
According to a vox pop conducted by Arab News, four out of seven parents with special needs children said that their experience with virtual education was bad and their children’s performance has declined, while two said it was good and one said it was very good.
These children had a range of conditions, including learning difficulties, hearing impairment, intellectual disability and behavioral disorders.
However, five parents said that the experience made them more aware of their child’s abilities and condition, and three agreed that they became more involved in their child’s educational process.
The parents spoke about challenges, including the students’ struggle to understand and do their homework and deal with their devices, as well as their inability to concentrate on lessons.
Um Nurah Al-Mutiri, from Madinah, said her fifth-grade daughter with intellectual disability struggles to understand her teacher. “She is able to understand only when she can read her teacher’s gestures and her mouth movements,” she told Arab News.
Um Nurah does not oppose partial dependence on virtual learning, but she thinks it doesn’t work yet for students like her daughter.

HIGHLIGHTS

• According to a vox pop conducted by Arab News, four out of seven parents with special needs children said that their experience with virtual education was bad and their children’s performance has declined, while two said it was good and one said it was very good. However, five parents said that the experience made them more aware of their child’s abilities and condition, and three agreed that they became more involved in their child’s educational process.

• Special education teachers gave more positive feedback than parents about their experience with virtual education, with seven out of 15 teachers saying that their experience with students was good, two said it was very good, four said it was okay, while two said it was useless. The majority of those who said it was a good experience work with primary school students with hearing impairment and speech disabilities, while the two who said it was useless work with primary school students with intellectual disabilities.

Ahmad Al-Harbu from Qassim, who has a son with a similar condition, agreed that virtual education services are not ready yet for special needs students. He was one of the four parents who said that virtual education was completely ineffective for these students.
“Not all parents like to be involved much,” said Al-Nemary. “These children need attention and sometimes it can be more challenging for parents because they have other responsibilities.”
Al-Nemary believes that it is possible to provide a part of education or rehabilitation services virtually, but that this should not be the only medium of service provision.
“This is simply because these students, compared to typically developing children, need more attention than others, they need someone to talk to them and show them things, support them physically in doing certain activities and develop certain skills,” he said.
Special education teachers gave more positive feedback than parents about their experience with virtual education, with seven out of 15 teachers saying that their experience with students was good, two said it was very good, four said it was okay, while two said it was useless.

We should capitalize in these challenging times by keeping the family more involved, because we know that the more the family is involved, the greater the outcomes are.

Dr. Faisal Al-Nemary, chief operating officer at the Autism Center of Excellence

The majority of those who said it was a good experience work with primary school students with hearing impairment and speech disabilities, while the two who said it was useless work with primary school students with intellectual disabilities.
Munirah Al-Rumaih, a primary school teacher from Qassim, said the pros and cons from virtual education are equal. “Evaluating the results will take time,” she said. “My experience is fairly good so far.”
Al-Rumaih said her classroom was not fully equipped before the pandemic; therefore distant learning allowed her to utilize technology and more exciting content in her teaching, which she had not been able to do before.
“I have a shy student who wasn’t confident interacting in the classroom because of her speech impairment, but with distant learning she gained confidence and is participating in the virtual classroom a lot more,” she said.
She noted that differences between students at school were individual differences, while in distance learning, it is more about differences between families. “I hope teachers take that into account and consider each family’s circumstances.”
Some teachers spoke about the lack of interactive educational content available in Arabic for special needs students, low-income families’ need for support to get their children the right devices, the system’s lack of flexibility and the ministry’s unnecessary requirements.
Al-Nemary said there are two models of education in such challenging times, the completely virtual model and the hybrid approach. In the latter, children attend school once or twice a week, which he thought was more efficient.
In the former, he said, “parents must receive training on how to teach and train their kids in the home environment and develop their skills.”
“Some students might benefit from the virtual model, but I believe the majority of students with disabilities will benefit more from the hybrid model in these challenging times,” he said.
The hybrid model is applied at ACE , and Al-Nemary believes it has proved effective.
“Families come and attend one-hour sessions for 12 weeks and get the chance to learn how to teach their kids certain skills, such as communication, language, play and independence,” he said.
The feedback from families was positive. “We had some success stories from parents who really liked what we did, they saw that it was very enlightening for them compared to when their kids were attending the centre and they weren’t involved,” he said.
He noted that the hybrid model is flexible. “Based on each child’s characteristics and needs, we can determine who should get more out of which,” he said. “For example, some students might need 50 percent virtual and 50 percent face-to-face, other students might need 30 to 70 percent or vice versa.”
Al-Nemary anticipates an increase in educational and therapeutic services via the hybrid model, even after the pandemic is brought under control.
“It is a very effective model because it is cost-effective; we can reach those who live in areas that do not have access to specialists and experts,” he said.


Saudi Justice Ministry to host training conference

Updated 03 May 2024
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Saudi Justice Ministry to host training conference

RIYADH: The Saudi Ministry of Justice is to hold the International Conference of Judicial Training in Riyadh from May 6-7.

The Judicial Training Center hosts the event which will see the participation of several international training institutes, centers, and experts in the field of judicial and legal training. The objective is to facilitate the exchange of experiences and deliberations on contemporary trends in the era of digital transformation.

Called “The Future of Judicial Training in the Era of Digital Transformation,” the event will delve into the prospects of training in the future. It will explore paths for enhancing training content; strategies for harnessing modern technology; artificial intelligence in judicial training; and effective methodologies for measuring the training’s impact.


Saudi energy minister attends Tashkent International Investment Forum

Updated 03 May 2024
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Saudi energy minister attends Tashkent International Investment Forum

TASHKENT: Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman on Thursday participated in the primary dialogue session at the third Tashkent International Investment Forum.

In the presence of the president of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the energy minister highlighted the distinguished relations between the two nations, emphasizing the leadership’s strong commitment to enhancing and expanding cooperation across all sectors, particularly energy.

The partnership aims to benefit both countries and their citizens.


Who’s Who: Ali Alhasan, CEO and founder of NanoPalm

Updated 03 May 2024
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Who’s Who: Ali Alhasan, CEO and founder of NanoPalm

  • Alhasan co-developed deep tech to leverage large language models for biotech discovery
  • He was granted the Outstanding Researcher Award from the International Institute for Nanotechnology in 2012

Ali Alhasan is CEO and founder of the company NanoPalm. He holds a Ph.D. in nanomedicine, with expertise in nano-drug delivery and gene therapy and five years of experience in executive management.

In his role as CEO, Alhasan formulates the strategic and business plans for accelerating therapy translation globally and trains talents in deep tech, nanotech, and gene editing tech.

Alhasan co-developed deep tech to leverage large language models for biotech discovery. He also co-invented Nanopalm’s biorobots for the delivery of gene editing primers and helped discover four nanomedicines for four different genetic diseases.

He is also an associate professor at King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology and an adjunct professor at Alfaisal University, establishing collaboration agreements between the two.

As associate professor, he is the principal researcher for development and innovation in nanomedicine and the fourth industrial revolution.

In his role as adjunct professor, Alhasan teaches nanomedicine and mentors postgraduate and undergraduate students. He also co-established the Cancer Nanoscience Program.

Previously, Alhasan served in executive leadership roles at KACST as deputy at the Joint Centers of Excellence Program (2021), deputy of the Life Science and Environment Research Institute (2020), director of the Center of Excellence for Biomedicine (2020), and director of Strategic Initiatives (2016). 

Alhasan was a post-doctoral scholar at the University of California in 2015 and received his Ph.D. in the Interdepartmental Biological Sciences Program from Northwestern University in 2013. 

In 2008, he received a master’s degree in biotechnology also from Northwestern University, while in 2001, he received his bachelor’s degree in medical technology from King Abdulaziz University. 

Alhasan was granted the Leader of the Year award from the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology in 2024. In 2018, he received the Outstanding Investigator Award from KACST.

He was granted the Outstanding Researcher Award from the International Institute for Nanotechnology in 2012. 


Prince Faisal bin Farhan speaks with Swiss foreign minister

Updated 02 May 2024
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Prince Faisal bin Farhan speaks with Swiss foreign minister

  • two ministers discussed developments of common interest and efforts made by both countries in those areas

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan spoke on the phone with his Swiss counterpart Ignazio Cassis on Thursday.

During the call, the two ministers discussed developments of common interest and efforts made by both countries in those areas, Saudi Press Agency reported.

Cassis was in the Kingdom last month to attend the Special Meeting of the World Economic Forum held in Riyadh on April 28 and 29, during which he met with Prince Faisal.

Prince Faisal and Cassis also met earlier in the year in February during UN meetings in Geneva.


Saudi FM discusses preparations for Expo 2030 with BIE chief

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan receives the Secretary-General of the BIE Dimitri Kerkentzes in Riyadh.
Updated 02 May 2024
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Saudi FM discusses preparations for Expo 2030 with BIE chief

  • During the meeting, the two officials discussed the Kingdom’s preparations to host Expo 2030 in Riyadh
  • “We underlined the importance of careful planning to deliver a transformational World Expo in 2030,” Kerkentzes said

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan received the Secretary-General of the Bureau International des Expositions Dimitri Kerkentzes in Riyadh on Thursday.

During the meeting, the two officials discussed the Kingdom’s preparations to host Expo 2030 in Riyadh and coordination to ensure that the exhibition would be “exceptional,” Saudi Press Agency reported.

Writing on social media platform X, Kerkentzes said: “We underlined the importance of careful planning to deliver a transformational World Expo in 2030.”

The BIE chief met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday.

World Expo 2030 will be hosted in Riyadh after the Kingdom defeated challenges from South Korea and Italy to host the prestigious event in November 2023.