Academic Freedom in Saudi Arabia: a Comparative Analysis

Abstract

Abstract Saudi Arabia has recently sought to transform its economy from an existing extractive economy, based on oil as a single source of income, to a knowledge-based economy, based on highly skilled minds and creative human resources. A knowledge-based economy focuses on the production, generation, dissemination, and application of information. This is what the Vision 2030 government strategy confirmed. Vision 2030 was designed and promoted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and published on 25 April 2016, puts education at the forefront of the national transformation projects and programs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It also aims to make at least five of Saudi Arabia’s universities achieve ranking positions in the top 200 international universities 2030. The purpose of this research project was to evaluate academic freedom in Saudi Arabia in comparison to the EU nations by investigating faculty members’ understanding of academic freedom, as well as exploring the extent or degree to which academic freedom is available to faculty members, and by investigating the barriers faculty members face with respect to academic freedom in Saudi Arabian universities. The study employed a quantitative, mixed methods research design to explore factors surrounding the experiences of the faculty concerning academic freedom. This study seeks to answer the research question: To what extent is academic freedom possible in Saudi Arabia? The researcher compared the responses gathered from the academic staff selected within two cohorts of interest, SA and EU. Generally, the results indicated that respondents had positive views regarding the level of protection for academic freedom within their institutions. The study outcomes also revealed a significant number of faculty members had no idea of the existence of a policy guiding academic freedom in their workplaces, or in the Saudi constitution. Faculty members have faced some barriers for instance : The conservative nature of Saudi society, bureaucracy, and relying on the government as the main source of funding for universities.