Talal Qashqari

Al-Madinah

The number of unemployed Saudis with PhDs increases every year. This is an appalling fact. While we accept that our society is home to unemployed Saudis with undergraduate degrees, having an increasing number of PhD holders who are unemployed is shocking. These unemployed Saudis should be teaching at our universities and not be sitting idle at home. They are supposed to benefit our country and share their knowledge with Saudi students. After all, they spent many sleepless nights abroad studying.

This situation reflects on the poor planning on the part of the bodies that allow students to go abroad to study when there is little possibility of them finding jobs when they return to the Kingdom. Each PhD student costs the government a lot of money in tuition fees. The postgraduate studies program should have a clear vision to stop this problem from recurring and to ensure that PhD students have jobs when they return to the Kingdom.

The real problem lies in our universities and major companies, which are full of expatriate professors. While it is vital for universities to have professors of different backgrounds and nationalities, it is unwise that the number of non-Saudi professors exceeds that of Saudi professors. There should be some balance. Moreover, some non-Saudi professors have fake degrees while others have been involved in improper practices in their home countries.

We should find a rapid solution to this problem. Saudi students have worked hard overseas to get their PhDs and have spent years studying and researching. They deserve a better chance. They are our national assets and we should be proud of them.