Policies

Capacity Development of Public Education Evaluation Indicator

Context and Issue

Evaluation practices in the education sector are crucial as they are significant to understanding and benchmarking the quality of education across different educational institutions within the country and examining their standing at the international level. Similarly, like any other country, evaluating education is crucial for Saudi Arabia to improve its education standards. The responsible department in Saudi Arabia is the government's Commission, which assesses public and private education to ensure it meets high standards.

Solution 

The UNDP Project "Capacity Development of Public Education Evaluation Indicators – Towards the Preparation of Saudi Youth for the Knowledge-Based Society and Economy" was carried out between 2014 and 2019. The project aimed to provide stakeholders with unbiased, firsthand insights into the project's status, relevance, and performance in achieving its outlined objectives. The main goal was to evaluate the project's technical and managerial aspects, determine the extent of its completion thus far, and provide recommendations for potential future actions.

Impact

The significance of the Project is demonstrated through the enhancement of several aspects of the education evaluation system, such as school evaluation, teacher licensing, national testing, curriculum development, and the national qualifications framework. The Project's effectiveness is apparent in the accomplishments across various elements of the system and project components. National reference frameworks and policies and standards have been established for key project components. Additionally, the Project activities have facilitated capacity building within the education environment and community.

Analysis

Government support is essential to implement such interventions. Countries with political instability and lack of policy continuity may not be to replicate this intervention.