June 25, 2004

A PIONEER IN COMPUTER SCIENCE AND INTERNET TECHNOLOGY IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA: PRINCESS ARWA BINT FAHD DEDICATING HER UNIVERSITY STUDY OF COMPUTER SCIENCE TO THE SERVICE OF HER COUNTRY. Baria Alamuddine Princess Arwa Bint Fahd Bin Abdullah Bin Muhammad Bin Saud in pursuing her advanced scientific careers fully disproves the wrong image about the reality of Saudi women. She studied computer science at Reading University in Britain. Immediately after graduation, she returned to Saudi Arabia where she started applying the scientific knowledge she acquired, hoping to accomplish the aims she has earnestly wished. Currently, princess Arwa is working for her PhD degree in computer science at the university of South Bank in Britain. Princess Arwa started her work from her home six years ago when she worked at planning the sites on the internet web. Then when she discovered that the activities on the website were rapidly expanding, she decided to establish a company that attends to various aspects of computer science such as planning, programming and developing needed technologies. With time, the company became a workshop and production center that comprises ten specialized women and three programming specialists. Ever since 1998 the "Ram World" is considered the first Saudi company that applied the most advanced planning of sites on the internet web. The company is considered a pioneer in introducing new ideas and in meeting the needs of those who deal with the internet. In addition, the company helps in solving the technical problems faced by the various institutions through applying internet technologies. The company also offers various technological services such as hosting sites on the internet and planning and marketing through the internet in addition to technical training and the protection of sites. The work-team in this company includes specialized programmers who cooperate with the clients to help them have a successful appearance on the internet. The company also can establish the site that is suitable to the personal or commercial needs of the clients. "Ram World" won the Mawared Prize for its best planned website on the internet. This is considered an important prize because it is a yearly occasion organized by the Saudi Company of Research and Publication with the participation of all the media of communication that are involved in the mutual communication and information in the Gulf region. In the dialogue we had with her in Riyadh, Princes Arwa said: "we consider ourselves fortunate for being in this field of work which we love and in which we try to do our best. We also are proud of what we have already achieved because our achievements are the only road to progress and development." The princess added saying: "we have progressed a lot since the establishments of our company. Nowadays, we are not merely concerned with planning sites on the internets for our services now includes electronic solutions in addition to other specialized services similar to what is found in Europe, Asia and America. The princess said that when she started work in Saudi market there were only very few companies dealing with the world of the internet. Today, the number of such companies has grown significantly and consequently competition also has expanded. That is why we decided to modify our strategy and to increase our abilities. We asked the princess about the proportion of Saudis interested in dealing with the internet and she said the extent of interest in the internet is encouraging and leads us to expect a bright future in this field. A recent research carried out by our company indicated that the number of persons dealing with the internet has been greatly increasing at the various levels of society especially among male and female young persons, students and university graduates. The results of the research showed that the proportion of women dealing with the internet was quite large and steadily increasing. The same seems to be true of government agencies as well as of the employees of private companies and organizations. We asked princess Arwa whether they can easily find Saudi specialists in computer science in order to meet their needs. She said they do meet difficulties in this respect especially in finding computer programmers. Our employees are mostly Lebanese or Syrians and we are looking for Saudi men and women. We asked her about the intensity of competition between the various companies that offer the same service in the Saudi market. She said: "I am sorry to say that the market is over-saturated with companies performing this kind of services. This abundance together with the sharp competition has let to the lowering of the technological and scientific standards needed in this sector. This is a problem that requires immediate attention. I do not want you to believe that I resent this increase in the number of companies in the computer field because I accept gladly the competition, but, in the meantime, I call upon all concerned to preserve and defend the required standard for this sector so that competition will no lead to confusion and disorder which will harm our ambition to make the Kingdom in this sector a lighthouse that shines over the region and the world. About the volume of work of the company, the princess said that they had contracts with about fifty organizations including the Ministry of Foreign affairs, King Faysal Institute, the Traffic Department, Riyadh Bank and the Dutch Bank. The interviewer: what are the means you employ for promoting your services? The princess: "we do not organize publicity campaigns, but we depend on the confidence our clients have in us and in our services. In fact they publicize our work and this leads to our receiving new clients. In addition, we let men negotiate with clients who do not feel at ease in dealing with women. Also we look for new spheres of action by getting information about invitations for tenders by government agencies or by private companies and then we submit our bids in the hope that we will win the contact." The Interviewer: Do you think that your being a princess of the Royal Family facilitates your receiving work contracts? The Princess: "My being a princess is totally irrelevant to our system of work. Our achievements determine what work we get. I specially insist that confidence in out company should be based on our achievements and not at all on the basis that I am a princess who owns the company." The interviewer: How many employees do you have in your company? The princess: we currently have fifty-one male and female employees. We need more to perform our work but we prefer to grow carefully, step by step. The interviewer: Does not your studying abroad adversely affect the work of your company? And how do you reconcile studying with working? The princess: I take care to get informed about the minutest details and to make sure that I do not miss anything relating to the work of the company. For getting the information I need to depend mostly on E-mail. Also, I do no absent myself for long periods. The interviewer: How did your family react to your going abroad for your studies? The princess: Among my brothers and sisters, I am the oldest, and during my childhood I started handling the computer with a good deal of encouragement from my father who strongly wanted to have one of his children specialize in computer science which he regarded the science of the future. My mother strongly supported my father's policy. When I completed my studies, my father encouraged me to start applying what I have learned rather than just staying at home. I also remember that during my pursuing my studies in Britain, my mother used to make sure to visit me and to stay there two or more months before we return together to the Kingdom. I admit that at the beginning, leaving home and family to study in Britain was a very difficult experience. But my father's insistence on completing my education encouraged me to take this step especially when the family decided to accompany me. The interviewer: What are the most important obstacles to the Saudi woman's participation in public life? The princess: I assure you that driving cars is not one these obstacles because the issue of driving falls at the bottom of the Saudi woman's priorities. In the light of my experience, I feel sure that the most important thing for the Saudi woman is education and knowledge and the proper choice of her field of work in addition to her understanding of the needs of the labor market. It is important to note that her work would help in solving the problem of unemployment which is currently prevailing among both men and women. In this respect, I feel that the current cooperation between labor and both the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher Education is very important. We have already started finding Saudis in jobs that they refused to accept in the past such as working in commercial stores and restaurants and hairdressing facilities. This indicates that the outlook toward work has been changing, partly for economic reasons and partly because the Saudis no longer look down at these kinds of jobs. It is worth noting that this is an important development especially in the light of the fact that the proportion of young men and women is very high. I believe that the most important challenges we are facing is the necessity of replacing the traditional methods of education that emphasized memorizing information by modern methods that emphasize learning and understanding. I understand that the authorities have started recognizing the needs and are moving toward modifying the methods of education. We also have new modern private universities applying this new approach such as "IFT College. These developments may relieve Saudi families from the need to send their children to universities abroad.