الطلب المتزايد على المدارس الدولية بالسعودية

المدارس الدولية في المملكة العربية السعودية

يتضمن النظام التعليمي مجموعة متنوعة من المناهج من شأنها العمل على نشأة جيل من المحترفين. وبالنسبة للمدارس الدولية  التي تزداد شهرتها عالمياً بشكل كبير، فيأتي كلاً منها بأشكال وأحجام ومناهج وأساليب مختلفة تتفق مع معايير دولية. لكي تكون المدرسة بالفعل مدرسة دولية، من المعروف جيداً أنه على هذه المدرسة أن تتبع بوجه عام منهج دولي أو محلي يختلف عن ما هو متبع في بقية مدارس الدولة برمتها. علاوة على ذلك، يتم دعم التعليم الدولي من خلال إدخال برامج دولية مثل برنامج إدارة الأعمال والتجارة الدولية وبرنامج المواطنة العالمية، ولعل أهم ما يميز التعليم الدولي ويجعل شهرته في ازدياد هو أن هذه المدارس توفر تعليم باللغة الإنجليزية معترف به عالمياً ويتميز بمعايير أخرى عالية الجودة في التدريس والتعليم. وبالنسبة للكثير من الآباء، سواءً المقيمين أو المواطنين ، يُعتبر التعليم رحلة يستطيع الطفل من خلالها أن يضمن له مكان في جامعة غربية وأن يكون مؤهلاً بشكل جيد في اللغة كما يضمن له 

مؤهلات أخرى عديدة.

وقد أصبح التعليم الجيد هو غاية وطلب اليوم حيث زاد الاهتمام به بدرجة كبيرة إيماناً بأنه يضمن مستقبلاً مستقراً. وتكتسب المدارس الدولية بالسعودية  شهرة واسعة تزداد يوماً بعد يوم فيما بين الطلبة المحليين حيث بات لدى كل أب وأم انطباعاً إيجابياً يفيد بحصول أطفالهم على فرصة التعليم الجيد في هذه المدارس. وقد مر التعليم بسلسلة من التغييرات في الحقبة الأخيرة، وبالرغم من ارتفاع سعر هذه المدارس، إلا أن المقبلين عليها كُثُرْ.

في الماضي، كان تركيز التعليم المحلي منصباً بشكل رئيسي على الامتحانات، بينما الآن وقد تغير الأمر ليصبح الاتجاه نحو عدد أقل من الامتحانات وعدد أكبر من التقييمات المتراكمة المستمرة. ولدى المدارس الدولية قانون انضباط صارم، وفعلياً يرتدي الطلبة زيًا موحداً.

وأشارت عدة تقارير نتجت عن استقصاء تم إجرائه مؤخراً إلى أن هناك 321 مدرسة دولية بالمملكة العربية السعودية  تقدم خدمات تعليمية بمعايير دولية. ويومياً، هناك أكثر من 180 ألف طالب يتم إدراج أساميهم أو تسجيلهم في المدارس، وهناك حوالي 8000 فصل يتم التدريس لطلابهم كل يوم. وتقوم هذه المؤسسات بتقديم تعليم أفضل مع الاهتمام بالألعاب الرياضية الحديثة.

وفي سياق متصل، توصلت الإحصائيات الحكومية إلى أن هناك حوالي 80 مدرسة دولية بالرياض    تضم حوالي 65 ألف طالب، بينما جدة وهي المدينة الأكبر في احتواءها لعدد المدارس لديها حوالي 95 منشأة تعليمية، ويليها المنطقة الشرقية التي تحوي حوالي 65 مدرسة تضم حوالي 80 ألف طالب.

أما مدينة الخُبَر، فتعد هي الأفضل في المنطقة الشرقية من ناحية احتضانها لمدارس أجنبية والثالثة على مستوى المملكة حيث أنها تضم حوالي 40 ألف طالب.

هناك نوعين من المدارس الأجنبية بالمملكة وهما: مدارس الجاليات التي تديرها سفارات الدول لمواطنيها الذين يعيشون بالسعودية، والمدارس الدولية التي تقوم بتدريس كلاً من المنهج البريطاني والأمريكي. هناك تقريباً 57 مدرسة خاصة بالجاليات في المملكة العربية السعودية.

يشرف على المدارس الدولية عادةً منظمات دولية مثل منظمة شبكة إدارة التعليم العالمي سابيس SABIS، والمجلس الأوروبي للمدارس الدولية ECIS، أو جمعية دول الشرق للمدارس والجامعات MSASC، بينما يشرف على مدارس الجاليات مخطط المناهج المتبع في بلدانهم.  

Only 3 million Saudis have health insurance

Only 3.11 million Saudis have medical insurance or 30 percent of eligible citizens in the country, while 7.85 million or 79 percent of expatriates have coverage, according to the Council of Cooperative Health Insurance (CCHI).

With a new company entering the market within the next 90 days, in addition to the current 26 companies operating, 52 percent of the market in the country would be covered, a source at the CCHI was quoted as saying by a local newspaper on Friday.
He said that no company has been suspended from operating over the past six months, after six firms had their bans lifted for violating various rules and regulations in the first six months of 2015.
He said that the CCHI had approved four basic criteria to which firms have to comply in terms of fee structures. Policies must adhere to the limits set by the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency, he said.

He said medical insurance firms must base their policy prices on technical and objective criteria and should not be less than what would be required for treatment. They should not also base prices on those charged by their competitors, the source said.

Policy prices must be based on supply and demand, and the criteria laid out in health legislation. Article 36 makes it mandatory for companies to justify prices when renewing policies. Violators would be referred to the CCHI for further action, he said.

The government was still studying the possibility of introducing private insurance in the public sector. This matter has been taken up by the Ministry of Health and CCHI, which is primarily concerned with medical coverage for private sector employees and their families.

He said the CCHI’s plans for 2016 include the possibility of providing health insurance for a few government departments across the Kingdom. The implementation would start with a major advertising campaign over six months in Arabic and English.

Finding the Right Interior Designer in Saudi Arabia

Interior Designers in Saudi Arabia

People like to spend their quality time at home after a hard day’s work. They want to feel comfortable with the ambience and this totally depends on the quality of interiors one have at their home. Long working hours and travelling time in the city gives anyone little space to decorate or to do interior designing of their homes. Maybe you are not perfect to do this job. Hiring an interior designer in Saudi Arabia is the best solution to say good bye to all your worries. It is good to consider the services of an interior designer or decorator and they will be giving you some fancy ideas in revamping or building your dream home.

It is very important to do a little research on your dream home before you hire the services of an interior designer. You have to be very peculiar with what exactly you are looking for in terms of theme and ambience. The rest of the job will be carried out nicely by professional interior decorators in Saudi Arabia. Charges may vary depending on the kind of project.

Some points are important to remember when you hire the services of an interior designer.

1. Most important factor in interior designing is budget. The resources which you want to purchase should also match your budget. Since, the interior designer’s charges can be decided after some negotiations but resources cannot be adjusted.
2. What type of style or theme you would like to give to your home is also very important. The interior designer will be able to better understand your criteria depending on your style statement.
3. Designing a home and not thinking about color is like making an iced cake with salt. Be sure to know about yours and your family members’ favorite colors so that can be recommended to the interior decorator.
4. You have to be particular about the kind of home accessories you are keeping. Unnecessary items can make the entire designing look odd.

5. Discuss each and every part with all the detailing. The best interior designers in Saudi Arabia know their job well. They know how to reflect your sense of style with captivating décor, furniture, accessories, color and fabric.
6. If you want to reduce your expenses on resources you may discuss this point with the decorator. Having a word with the designer will always be useful for you.
7. The interior designer should listen to you carefully when he/she comes to your home for discussion. They should also be conducting survey of your entire home.
8. They should be able to present you with creative solutions and ideas for the project. They must also be able to make the necessary product selections for your project.
9. They should get paint and fabric samples in helping out with your favorite color and design theme. Moreover, flooring samples should also be presented in the demo.
10. Last but not the least; they must suggest you on how to enhance your home with design basics of balance, texture, color, etc.

If you do your research in advance and do the proper consultation with the interior designer then decorating your dream home could be a hassle free experience.

Originally published at http://blog.daleeli.com/finding-the-right-interior-designer-in-saudi-arabia/

New breast cancer campaign planned

 A year-long breast cancer campaign entitled 10KSA was launched on Monday by Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan Al-Saud.

Addressing a gathering of businesswomen and top members of charities and social groups at the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the princess said that her charity Alf Khair would run the initiative in partnership with several government and private sector organizations. 
These organizations include the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Social Affairs, Princess Noura University, Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage, General Presidency for Sports and Youth Welfare, Saudi Fund for Human Resources, Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Saudi Arabian Olympic Association, and sponsoring companies. 
Over 10,000 women over 14 are expected to gather on Dec. 12 at Princess Noora University to form the world’s largest human pink ribbon shape on record. The aim is to draw the nation’s attention to the increasing number of breast cancer cases and deaths. The campaign would also provide much needed education on prevention and treatment.

According to reports, few women survive breast cancer in Saudi Arabia because there is much less screening and often the late discovery of the disease. This is due mostly to stigma and cultural reasons, which could be countered with awareness and education. 
According to Princess Reema, breast cancer is the leading cause of death for women aged 20 to 59 in the Kingdom. Stigma and the worry of being branded as unhealthy prevent women in rural areas from seeking help.

Women in Arab countries are typically diagnosed some 10 years younger than their Western peers, and in much later stages of the disease, radically reducing their chances of survival. Princess Reema said she hoped that 10KSA would not just break records, but also get people to talk about women’s health.

She hoped that the event would raise SR5 million to kick start an endowment fund for the Zahra Breast Cancer Association. Sponsors in Saudi Arabia such as Alwaleed Philanthropies, Uber, General Electric and Al-Saif Construction Company have already pledged their support.

Princess Reema is a granddaughter of the late Crown Prince Sultan and daughter of Prince Bandar, the former Saudi ambassador to the United States and chief of the National Security Council.
She is a founding member of the Zahra Breast Cancer Association and chief executive officer of the luxury retailer Alfa International, which operates the Harvey Nichols department store in Riyadh. 
The princess is known for leading a movement to bring more Saudi women into the workforce. In 2014 she was included in the Most Creative People list for her efforts, which included ousting several dozen Harvey Nichols salesmen to hire female clerks.

KSA to host global road conference

Global road conference

The International Road Federation Conference (IRFC) gets underway in the Saudi capital from Dec. 15 to 17 under the auspices of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman.

Transport Minister Abdullah Al-Muqbil thanked King Salman for his approval to hold the conference, which is an “extension of the generous support to the Ministry of Transport.”

“It’s also a part of the unlimited support to various local institutions operating in the different transport industry sectors which are implementing various road projects in the Kingdom,” he said.

Al-Muqbil also thanked Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their support.

Al-Muqbil also said that the conference to be held at the Riyadh InterContinental Hotel will be attended by experts from the road industry in the Kingdom and other countries.

He added that on the sidelines of the three-day conference, a specialized exhibition will be held featuring photographs and models on road projects and related industries. 

He added that the event will be a good opportunity to be updated on the “latest developments as far as road construction and building techniques are concerned.”

He said that the significance of the conference is “reflected by the fact that massive construction of various projects and infrastructure is currently taking place in the Saudi capital and other parts of the Kingdom.”

These projects include the $22.5 billion Riyadh Metro, which is being constructed under the supervision of the High Commission for the Development of Riyadh (HCDR), and the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD).

These projects are currently being implemented in the Saudi capital with a total cost amounting to SR509 billion.