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The Educational Review, USA

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Article Open Access http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/er.2022.08.014

Digital Transformation within Saudi Education System: 2020 and Beyond

Ahlam A. Alghamdi

Early Childhood Education, Taif University, Saudi Arabia.

*Corresponding author: Ahlam A. Alghamdi

Published: September 1,2022

Abstract

Since early 2020, the COVID-19 crisis has driven the most visible and controversial disruptions that educational communities have ever witnessed. Globally, many countries have been forced to transition to digital alternatives to sustain education while lacking prior knowledge and sufficient experience. In Saudi Arabia, this crisis has offered the nation the chance to reconstruct the perspective on education by considering unlimited digital possibilities. Accordingly, this paper synthesizes the approaches to digital transformation in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic, from the initial response of the education system to the urgent call of the World Health Organization to address the change, including the impact of the crisis on the policy and philosophy of education beyond 2020. This article also discusses the Kingdom’s national plan for digital inclusion, which facilitated a smooth digital transition during the crisis. We also shed some light on the status of digital literacy and the popularity of digital culture in the Saudi context. Finally, we briefly describe teacher digital literacy and development pre-, peri- and post-COVID-19. Actions taken after 2020 and lessons learned from the crisis are also discussed within the framework of Saudi digital growth.

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How to cite this paper

Digital Transformation within Saudi Education System: 2020 and Beyond

How to cite this paper: Ahlam A. Alghamdi. (2022). Digital Transformation within Saudi Education System: 2020 and Beyond. The Educational Review, USA6(8), 419-425.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/er.2022.08.014