The Special Education Department of the Ministry of Education operates schools for the blind, deaf and the physically and mentally handicapped. Other institutes care for older handicapped people. The special schools are part of the Kingdom's effort to encourage every individual to reach his or her full potential.

Another important sector of Saudi Arabia's educational program is adult education. With its commitment to making education available to all and eradicating illiteracy, the Kingdom established a large number of adult education centers. In isolated rural areas, the government conducts intensive three-month adult education courses during the summer. The Kingdom's literacy rate is above 90 percent for men, and just over 70 percent for women.

Further Information

Education At the time the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded in 1932, education was not accessible to everyone and limited to individualized instruction at religious schools in mosques in urban areas.
Education for Girls Promoting the concept of equal educational opportunities for the sexes posed another problem but one that was ameliorated by Islam’s insistence on the importance of learning in general and the high status accorded to women within Islamic society in particular.
General Education The objectives of Saudi educational policy are to ensure that education becomes more efficient, to meet the religious, economic and social needs of the country and to eradicate illiteracy among Saudi adults.
Higher Education Entering a new era of rapid development of the country's infrastructure and economy in the early 1970s, Saudi Arabia devoted special attention to fostering higher education.
Training in Saudi Arabia The Kingdom has identified technical and administrative training as an essential sector of education to support the country's economic and social development.