Page 153 - Adobe Photoshop PDF

bureaucratic delays!

The combination of the developments described above occurred
LQ WKH SHULRG 7KH\ VHQW DQ HOHFWULF H൵HFW WKURXJK WKH ZRUN-
force. I am extremely proud of my contribution to this result. When I
went to Saudi Arabia in 1979, 1980, and 1981, I was pleased to see that
this same program (now renamed Job Progress Steps) was producing
great results for Aramco. Thousands of employees over the years have
progressed to skilled craft and operating jobs because of this program.

1XPHURXV RWKHU H൵RUWV KDYH DVVLVWHG LQ WKH GHYHORSPHQW RI 6DX-
di Arabs. Beginning January 1952, the company built and donated to the
Saudi Arab government a series of grade schools. Until this time, there
had been none in the entire Eastern Province. Fred Davies personally
told me that when he had accompanied King Saud in January 1952 to
WKH RSHQLQJ RI WKH ¿UVW RI WKHVH JUDPPDU VFKRROV KH DVNHG WKH .LQJ

“Your Majesty, when do you think we might go to the opening of a
school for girls?” King Saud replied, “Not in your lifetime or mine, Mr.
'DYLHV ´ 7KH G\QDPLF H൵HFW RI SXEOLF HGXFDWLRQ FDQ EH VHHQ E\ WKH IDFW
WKDW LQ QLQH \HDUV ODWHU WKH ¿UVW SXEOLF VFKRRO IRU JLUOV RSHQHG 7KH

company also set up free night schools for employees where Arabic,
English and Arithmetic were taught. In my district (Ras Tanura) we had
a higher level of attendance at night school than in either of the other
two Districts.
To encourage employees to send their children to school, rather
than to work, by 1958 the company limited new hires in unskilled posi-
tions to those who had at least four years of education. Later, of course,
these standards were raised even further. Some Saudi Arabs who had
shown rapid progress and potential for further growth were sent on com-
pany scholarships to U.S. junior colleges and, later, four-year universi-
ties. The Saudi government began to send students abroad from schools
that developed all over the country. My story is incomplete, since I left
Saudi Arabia in 1959. Arabs have a great respect for education and have
made amazing progress. They deserve great respect for that.

149