I like to start with a question: As a Nigerian, why would you consider enrolling your child in a public school where the Arabic language is the medium of instruction? It could be a private choice after all. But generally as Muslims, we know the value of the Arabic language in our religion. The Arabic language is undoubtedly the key to the proper understanding of the Glorious Qur'an, ahadith, and other established books of Islam. Many of us parents have been struggling to learn the language from our teen ages through the university period to the present moment, but we ended up nowhere due to the fact that it is probably not in our primary objective. We continue to lament this failure on our part. Some of us have unfortunately given up the effort and only "hoping" that our kids will fare better. The kids will grow up to know that they lived in Saudi Arabia (or other Arab countries) for a certain number of years. If they become as unfortunate as we are, they will certainly question us as to why we did not make them learn the language well enough. So, do we allow our kids to fall in the same situation we are now? The answer is best left to the individual. However, if YES, the best way is to have Arabic as a medium of instruction right from the beginning rather than doing it as a single subject in an English medium school. Again, this is a personal issue.
Enrolling kids in the public schools in Saudi Arabia is easy but requires dedication, persistence and patience. This is mainly due to the challenge that Arabic is not our language. It is however relatively easier for Arab (non-Saudi) citizens. Albeit, with persistence and patience, the end usually comes very sweet and it is really worth the effort. Most importantly, you, as the parent, will need a considerable level of Arabic, at least a little beyond the basic, to cope with the consequences of taking this option. This is because you will need to be able to communicate with the teachers, especially during the regular Parents-Teachers meetings. You will also be responsible for guiding your kids with the home works at the initial stage.
The following are the steps involved:
Take the printed page along with other documents in a file and proceed to the school. The necessary documents include originals and copies of:
May Allah assist us as we discharge our responsibilities toward educating our children. May Allah make them successful and be of benefit to the Ummah
and mankind.
The whole process of enrolling your kids in private schools can be divided into two major important steps. These include:
(A) Survey and Information Gathering
This involves the search for schools and information about each of the schools in your locality. Two major sources of information are the internet and personal consultation with people who already got their kids enrolled in schools. In your search, six (6) criteria are very crucial for the analyses of the results of your survey and final decision on the school of choice.
Unlike Nigeria, all schools (KG, ‘primary’, ‘secondary’, colleges and universities) use the same calendar of two academic semesters (September to June every year). School age was previously six (6) years but now systematically brought to five (5). 0 to less than 4 years are admitted to toddler class, 4 to KG1, 5 to KG 2 and 6 to Grade 1 (Primary 1 equivalent in Nigeria). The school age for various classes continues in that order. There may be some waiver if your kid is one or two months less than a particular school age and/or if she performed excellently in the entrance exams.
(B) Registration Process
Having decided on one or two schools based on the results of your survey, it is advisable to visit the school(s) to know when sales of forms will begin. I must confess that some schools are so competitive that your kid may not be admitted if completed forms are not submitted early. You can visit as many schools as you can and you can get the admission forms from all the schools you visit. There is usually no payment for admission forms. Recently there are entrance exams for students/pupils at ALL LEVELS, so get your kids ready for the exams. Payments are made once the kid has passed the exams and the school is ready to admit her. It is also worthy of note that brilliant performance only guaranties admission if and only if the admission form collected is completed and returned promptly along with other necessary docs such as copies of father and kids passport and Iqamah, kid immunization certificate, kid birth certificate, six (6) passport photos, and original of employment/salary certificate from the company where the father works. Once completed forms are submitted, is either the entrance exam is conducted instantly or you will be notified of when to come for it. Some schools have fixed date for all intending students to sit for the entrance exams while others do it anytime, usually before the schools reopen for a new session. After the kid has sat for the exams, you will be contacted for the results. If she passes, then you will be asked to pay a non - refundable registration fees and one part of the ten - month installments tuition fees to secure a seat for your kid. Once all these are done, congratulations, your kid is now a student. All you need is to start counting days when you will be “cordially” invited for a graduation party.
Along the line, you will be invited by the school managements to attend parents/teachers meetings from time to time. It is usually three times or more per semester. This meeting is not the type that all the parents will seat in a hall to discuss issues. Rather, each family will be given some minutes to discuss with the class/subject teachers about the performance of her kids: her progress and challenges. The teachers do advice the parents accordingly.