The Beginnings of Public Education in Saudi Arabia

(An analysis of educational systems between 1926 and 1929)

Abstract

After King Abdul Aziz regained Hejaz in 1925, he quickly established the Directorate of Public Knowledge in 1926. At that stage, the country witnessed rapid developments in regulations and laws at all levels, including legislation related to public education. This study aims to identify the most critical features of the educational systems related to government education issued between the years 1926 and 1929. This study analyzed four educational laws issued in the first four years since establishing the Directorate of Public Knowledge in the Hijazi Kingdom, as the Directorate was solely responsible for education in the Hijazi Kingdom. After the unification of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was completed, the Directorate was assigned to education affairs in the country. The study used the historical and analytical approach to answer the study's questions. Among the most prominent findings of the study is that the first rules stressed free education for all, whether they were citizens or residents, adopted classical Arabic as the official language of instruction in government schools, and emphasized Islamic values in education.