Afterschool programs for kids in saudi arabia Essay

Afterschool programs for kids in saudi arabia - Essay Example While education is developing in Saudi Arabia, kids still don’t have the programs that can help them discover their potential skills and talents. Most kids waste their time during after school time either watching TV or playing video games at home. Having an after school program would be a very positive addition learning in Saudi Arabia. The concept of after school programs is not well developed in Saudi Arabia with very few programs available in the kingdom. According to Hirsch (year), After school programs have shown results of improved â€Å"homework completion, better test scores, higher grades, and even better psychological development of the student†. This is the main project that I will pursue as soon as I get back home. I am going back to Saudi Arabia in July 2012. My project will commence as an after school program by September 2013. In the USA, after school programs have seen a tremendous growth in the recent decade. According to an estimate by Afterschool Alliance (2009), â€Å"at least 6 million ( eleven percent) of school-age youth regularly participated in after-school programs during School Year 2002-2003†. The numbers of after school programs participants have increased lately with about 8.4 million K†12 children (roughly fifteen-percent) attending afterschool Programs by 2009 (Afterschool Alliance, 2009). There are a many good reasons why parents want their children to attend after-school programs. Primarily, Carver and Iruka (2006) believe that these programs â€Å"provide diverse services such as academic instruction, cultural enrichment, safe places to stay, and adult supervision for children â€Å". ... TASC created a model for daily after-school programs that community organizations operate in partnership with schools, offering kids sports, arts, academic help and support for their healthy social and emotional development. TASC is dedicated to reversing that inequality and giving every student a fighting chance to succeed. Knowing that most US kids spend eighty-percent of their waking hours outside the school, TASC became determined to fill that gap with a useful activity. Since its establishment, TASC has helped 376,000 New York City kids, supported 486 New York City public schools, partnered with 328 community and cultural organizations and colleges and trained 16,000 community members to work in schools (TAC Annual Report). Education in Saudi Arabia From the time of its foundation in 1932 until now, Saudi Arabia has made tremendous progress in the field of education. In 1925, King Abdulaziz (in his capacity as the King of Najd and Hejaz – before the establishment of the K ingdom of Saudi Arabia) established â€Å"the Directorate of Education," the first formally organized educational center under the Ministry of the Interior because there was not enough qualified and educated people to establish an education department that represented what’s now known as the Ministry of Education. During its early years, Saudi Arabia made use of Egyptian assistance; however, not only as an aid for teaching by providing both the manpower as well as the knowhow . Furthermore, it has also helped subsidize the curriculum and organize the Saudi educational system. At that time, the Egyptian educational system was based on the English model; hence, it was but natural to also adopt the same educational model in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia’s first public school was