Saudi Arabia is set to undertake a top-to-bottom overhaul of the Kingdom’s education system to better prepare citizens to find jobs and tackle intolerance, according to an announcement on the Vision 2030 website and other reports.
Dubbed the Human Capability Development Program (HCDP), the plan aims to ensure that citizens have the required capabilities to compete globally “by instilling values and developing basic and future skills, as well as enhancing knowledge,” the government says on the official Vision 2030 website announcing the plan. The program focuses on developing a solid educational base for all citizens to instill values from an early age, while preparing the youth for the future local and global labor market.
The first listed goal of the program is to “foster values of moderation and tolerance.” It also focuses on “upskilling citizens by providing lifelong learning opportunities, supporting innovation and entrepreneurship culture, and developing and activating policies and enablers to ensure KSA competitiveness,” the website says. The HCDP will be officially launched in the third quarter of 2021.
“The Human Capability Development Program is one of the newly refreshed Vision 2030 programs. It was created to develop citizens’ capabilities, prepare them for the future, and support them to seize opportunities. The program will focus on instilling values, developing basic and future skills, and the enhancing knowledge in a variety of fields. This ensures citizens participate effectively in the ongoing local economic, social, and cultural developments while also competing in the global labor market,” according to the announcement.
The overhaul is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s strategy to diversify the economy and chip away at a stubborn unemployment rate among Saudis.
