The impact of 2030 Vision on Saudi schools’ leadership, with an emphasis on decentralisation in education: Riyadh as a case study

Abstract

Vision 2030 appeared ,in 2016, as a framework of transformation and change in a knowledge-based society. Accordingly, the Ministry of Education made several changes, the first of which was related to the development of educational administrations, adopting, in addition, the centralised approach in education departments. As a result, school principals have given 60 powers to work in a wider educational environment. Accordingly, the name of the school principal changed to the school leader; because of the belief in the importance of the leadership role in achieving educational goals. This research aims to understand how decentralisation is applied in educational administrations considering the totalitarian rule that characterises the Saudi government, with the bureaucratic and centralised approach used in the Ministry of Education, in addition to realising the extent to which leaders accept changes in the Saudi education system. This research aims to explain several definitions of management and educational leadership and the differences between them, to understand it and the importance of changing the name of the role from principal to leader. Following this, it looks at decentralisation and the decisions of the school principal. The work on the Saudi Arabia context, next, focused on the development of education and Saudi educational supervision. The role of school budgets in development is discussed. For more accuracy, primary data is applied by undertaking numerous interviews with school leaders and supervisors. Supervisors connect school leaders to the higher education administrations. As for the examination of the role of leader, that is v concerned with changes, and the link between the members of the school, students and staff, and those outside it, such as supervisors and parents. The results show that the powers given to leaders are mostly; either tasks that must be implemented, powers not applied, or are linked to educational supervisors’ approval, in addition to the weak awareness of the leaders of the tasks assigned. This signifies the importance of intensifying courses and workshops to increase their awareness of leadership work and the new changes of 2030 Vision; to advance Saudi education to higher level.