Exploring the effectiveness of the Independent Schools Program (ISP) launched by the Saudi Ministry of Education

This research aims to evaluate the Independent Schools Program (ISP) and measure its effectiveness in achieving Ministry of Education (MOE) educational and financial objectives, in addition to providing recommendations to improve the effectiveness of decisions in investment in the public education service borne by the Saudi MOE. by engaging the private sector through launching the Independent School Program, which aims at reducing the cost per student on MOE. It attempts to qualitatively explore the effectiveness of ISP in fulfilling the MOE objectives. It is conducted by applying a semi-structured interview strategy that aims at capturing primary data from a representative sample of fifteen participants with relevant knowledge about ISP from the project implementation side, from the private sector side, and from the policymaking and subject matter expertise side. This research aims to describe, understand, and interpret their experiences, behaviours, and perceptions in their natural settings. The audience was selected based on their knowledge about the program and their experiences related to the subject in order to obtain relevant and proper insights. This enables collecting comprehensive data by following a set of pre-determined open-ended questions, allowing and promoting flexibility in data analysis and insight-gaining. The semi-structured interviews were conducted in person or online, before which Participants Information Sheet and the Consent Form were shared and signed. The interviews started with a set of core questions, and the researcher asked follow-up questions based on the interviewee's answers, making the interview more conversational and flexible. After that, the researcher conducted data analysis, generated findings, and reiterated the need to improve the literature review part. This research generated five main findings. First, it found that the ISP core concept is an effective concept. The concept of engaging the private sector and enabling it’s dynamics that aim to produce profit through maximizing efficiency without being restricted to government bureaucracy appeared to be fundamentally right. The second finding is that the ISP was ineffectively implemented by the MOE in Saudi Arabia. Although it’s concept is fundamentally right, the way this program was planned and executed had many flaws that led to failure and call for correction. Thirdly, this research found that the change management approach that the program leaders and teams pursued was not successful. Engaging the private sector in delivering public education is a major change that requires an organized, wise change management approach in order to overcome the unavoidable resistance that the program will face. This part was not planned and implemented properly by the ISP team. The change of MOE executive leadership at an early stage of the program journey was the fourth finding that the research found to be among the main issues that impacted the ISP. Finally, the fifth finding was how sound and strong the alignment of this program is with the Saudi National Plans, and how important this program is for the national reform agenda. The research concludes that the concept of ISP is a sound concept that has the potential to achieve MOE objectives. Some adverse opinions exist especially from those who are not in favour or engaging the private sector in providing public services, but they are insignificant compared to the opinions that support the concept. The research also shows that the implementation of ISP was unsuccessful due to many reasons, chief among them are: inadequate planning and execution, lack of clarity in objectives, failure in change management, loss of leadership support, inadequate communication, and insufficient employee engagement. This shows that ISP did not fulfil the MOE objectives nor did it have a material impact on the education system in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Although this is unfavourable to MOE at this time, it represents an opportunity to improve, capture lessons learned, and readjust the program to address the found issues and move forward. This research is important for several reasons. First, engagement of the private sector in operating public schools is an instrumental cost-reduction strategy for MOE, especially since the cost of providing public education in KSA is very high compared to relevant international benchmarks. Second, engaging the private sector in education brings innovation to the education system, especially since the current education system is in need of improvement. Third, engaging the private sector adds to the capacity of public service delivery. KSA lands amount to 2.15 million km2, posing a huge pressure on MOE to provide public education across the country, and engaging the private sector enables MOE to be more resourceful and more effective in public education geographical reach.