Teachers’ English Language Training Programmes in Saudi Arabia for Achieving Sustainability in Education

Abstract

Achieving sustainability is a major objective of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. This study investigates one Ministry of Education initiative to achieve sustainability through the establishment of its Optimum Utilisation of Teaching Staff Programme (OUTSP). The study focuses in particular on the OUTSP’s two-term English Language Programme (ELP). First, it details the ELP’s modules; then, it analyses the overall results for 170 of the 431 candidates who joined the programme, before going on to examine the results of a sample group of 56 of those 170 candidates in more detail. Microsoft Excel data analysis tools were used to analyse the data. The results show that the candidates generally scored high marks in both terms. The analysis of the sampled group suggests that the noticeably higher marks gained in the second term could be explained by the fact that the candidates were all experienced teachers. The study concludes that the ELP section of the OUTSP is an effective way to achieve sustainability in education through upskilling teachers. It further concludes that the ELP benefits teachers who are willing to move away from their specialist areas or who simply wish to advance their knowledge. Finally, the study recommends that future iterations of the ELP should be spread over three terms rather than two. We also recommend providing more incentives to encourage more candidates to join the ELP.