There are some similarities in the education system between Saudi Arabia and Australia. In both countries, the early childhood education is not compulsory such as: kindergarten which starts from age 3 to 5 years old in order to develop their skills and knowledge. Also, children wear a school uniform, which varies from one state to another. Moreover, class size in both countries is a maximum of thirty students. In both countries, education is free; there are no fees to enter schools except private schools. Children when they are in primary school, have one teacher for each year. In addition, in primary school children develop their reading, writing and counting. They also play games, drawing, painting and play team sports. In both countries, there are special schools and education programs for children who have a lack of ability to learn or have special needs.
There are many differences in education system between Saudi Arabia and Australia. The education method in Australia is divided into three stages: primary, secondary and tertiary but in my country it is divided into four stages: primary, intermediate, secondary and tertiary. Australian schools are run by each state, so they are different in each state, whereas in my country schools are run by the government and are all the same. Most Australian schools are co-educational for boys and girls, on the other hand, in Saudi Arabia schools are single-gender where boys and girls do not attend school together. Children in Australia have to go to school when they are five years old and they study up to 15-17 years old. In contrast, in my country they start when they are six or seven years old and there is compulsory study up to 17-18 years old. In Australia, there are two terms per year while, in my country there are two semesters each one is three months. Also, in Australia the class is from 8:45 am to 3:00 pm with breaks for lunch and snacks, whereas, in my country it is from 7:00am to 1:30 pm with breaks. The subjects in my country are based on the Arabic language while in Australian schools they are based on the English language. Furthermore, the compulsory subjects in Saudi Arabia are: mathematics, science, history, geography and religion except after the first year of secondary school, students can choose between science or literature. On the other hand, in Australia the compulsory subjects are: English, mathematics, science. Also, students choose their elective subjects like arts, music, history, geography, drama and commerce.
The education systems in both countries are still discussing many of the modern methods in order to change the plan of education especially in new educational technology for early childhood education. The aim of the classroom in the future plan includes two divisions: technological and educational. The researchers focus on the impact of technology on children, teachers and how technology shapes children’s learning. So, children’s activity patterns will be supported with technology that suggests active exploration, experimentation and play. There are many doubts whether placing a computer one a desktop is a suitable way to spend time with an active child. According to the research, educators should study the effects of technology and use it if it will benefit children because from an early age, children develop physically by building blocks, digging in sandboxes and drawing new ideas. Therefore, activities such as these help the improvement of skills that contain: creative problem-solving, collaborative learning, expressive design and figuring out the concepts.
Bibliography
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Wikipedia, Education in Australia, available at ( visited on 19 November 2009)
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Wikipedia, Education in Saudi Arabia, available at (visited on 19 November 2009)
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Classroom in the future, available at ( visited on 19 November 2009)
