Teachers, Teacher Education, and Professional Development
Teacher Education Specific to Mathematics and Science
The Ministry of Education guarantees certain teacher rights, some of which require the Ministry to develop teacher job performance levels, secure teaching positions for those with contract renewals, and equally and fairly assign and transfer teachers. Teachers also have the right to study or practice abroad and to present their needs and ideas through a number of teacher consultative councils. Currently, the Ministry is planning a new recommendation system that will encourage teachers to improve their performance. In addition, the Ministry is planning to implement a new system for teacher licensure to clarify the status of teacher positions and to ensure improvements in teacher performance.
During the present teacher recruitment process, university graduates from every discipline are screened. Regardless of the level they intend to teach, prospective teachers are required to meet the following requirements:
- Hold a bachelor’s degree in a teaching major
- Pass a proficiency test in their major and a test of general educational proficiency
- Pass a medical examination
- Pass a background interview that assesses the candidate’s personality and character
The Ministry of Education seeks to develop qualified teachers by helping those with teaching diplomas complete their studies and obtain bachelor’s degrees in their disciplines. Currently, the Ministry is planning a new program, Preparing and Training Teachers, to educate approximately 15,000 new male and female teachers throughout the year. Specifically, the program aims to accomplish the following:
- Build a comprehensive system for preparing new teachers
- Build positive trends and enhance loyalty to teaching
- Qualify new teachers and enrich their performance through education
- Make teachers aware of the educational environment and its various systems
- Guarantee a specific level of job performance
The Ministry of Education cooperates with the National Center for Assessment in Higher Education, referred to as Qiyas, to develop general teaching standards in all teaching disciplines and to determine whether new teachers have met these standards. The Ministry of Education also collaborates with the Ministry of Higher Education to develop additional standards for new teachers, and some of these efforts include the following:
- Preparing standards for general teacher education levels in cooperation with colleges of education and teachers’ colleges, guided by the international standards applied to every subject for all levels of the general curriculum
- Preparing professional development programs for teachers based on education and professional standards
- Reviewing the courses of study of colleges of education and teachers’ colleges to ensure they meet the requirements of the new curricula
Apart from collaborating with the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Higher Education is charged with the following missions:
- Ensuring that colleges of education and teachers’ colleges are able to fulfill the Kingdom’s future needs for teachers in all fields
- Coordinating with international recommendation committees to develop a set of recommendations for educational colleges nationally and internationally, and urging universities to fulfill academic recommendations
- Developing colleges of education and teachers’ colleges, using best standards and practices and through cooperation with distinguished international colleges and universities
Requirements for Ongoing Professional Development
The Ministry of Education sends some teachers and administrators to national universities or abroad to obtain master’s or doctoral degrees. The Ministry further seeks to train qualified teachers with extensive professional development courses and programs throughout the year to enhance teacher performance, according to the needs of curricular projects, some of which are developed in cooperation with specialized private sector corporations.
Teachers receive professional development and supervision throughout their careers through a number of means. For example, computerized supervision allows for rapid idea exchange and information access that helps to develop teacher knowledge, teaching environments, and quality teaching outputs. Presently, the Ministry is launching an electronic gateway for communication within the education sector to contribute to knowledge building, and to assist teachers in publishing educational research. Additionally, a new project known as Teach Me How to Learn aims to develop teaching strategies and techniques for use in and out of the classroom.
The Ministry also is preparing a project for teacher assessment to improve practical and educational outputs to build knowledge. Another program aims to implement changes to educational programs based on analyses of teacher evaluations and educational trends.