DEPUTY MINISTER NOURA AL-FAIZ: AMBITIONS,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 RIYADH 000860

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/FO (AMBASSADOR FELTMAN)
DEPT FOR NEA/PDD (AGNEW, BENZE); NEA/ARP (STEINFELD,
HARRIS, BLONG)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO PREL SCUL KWMN KISL KMPI SA
SUBJECT: DEPUTY MINISTER NOURA AL-FAIZ: AMBITIONS,
EXPECTATIONS, AND REALITY

REF: A. RIYADH 302

B. RIYADH 798


1. (SBU) Summary and comment: Stinging media criticism of
Noura Al-Faiz, Deputy Minister for Girls' Education, reflects
the anxieties of Saudis -- especially women -- whose hopes
were raised by Ms. Faiz's Valentine's Day appointment as the
first Saudi female at Deputy Minister rank. Her ongoing
search for a coherent strategy to reform girls' education
filters into the Saudi media as insecurity and a lack of
leadership. Although many influential Saudis admire her
talents and tenacity and caution against a rush to judgment,
Ms. Faiz's public missteps underscore the enormous challenges
facing any would-be educational reformer in Saudi Arabia.
End summary and comment.

IF SHE OPENS THE DOOR TOO MUCH,
THE WIND WILL BLOW HER OVER


2. (U) Ms. Faiz's unveiled face -- published by a Saudi
newspaper announcing the new Council of Ministers -- caused
uproar amongst traditional Saudis concerned about their own
daughters' keenness to follow her lead. To defuse the
scandal, which broke within days of her appointment, Ms.
Al-Faiz swore ignorance of the picture's source while later
emphasizing her family's Nejdi roots (the Kingdom's
conservative heartland encompassing Riyadh),which in turn
disappointed Saudi progressives looking for a national
leader. Ms. Al-Faiz created headlines months later by
declaring herself more influential than President Obama (her
profile came before his in the Time 100 Most Influential
People list),then reversing her position on introducing
physical education for girls (initially she said it was "way
too early"),and finally meekly announcing her refusal to
appear on television "unless it is allowed for us to do so."
As ambivalent as her public persona has been, however,
Mission contacts familiar with the considerable obstacles
ahead of her stress the fact that Ms. Al-Faiz stands alone
and must choose her battles wisely.

GIRLS' EDUCATION AS A HISTORICAL
BASTION OF CONSERVATISM


3. (U) The Ministry of Education's (MOE) 1953 establishment
coincided with the opening of boys' schools in Saudi Arabia.
In contrast, public education for girls was introduced in the
early 1960's, and remained relatively autonomous and
overwhelmingly conservative-controlled through the turn of
the century. In fact, not until the tragic 2002 Mecca fire
that killed 15 schoolgirls did the Saudi Arabian government
merge the separate Presidency of Girls Education into the
MOE. In February 2005, Abdullah bin Saleh Al-Obaid, a former
head of the World Muslim League with strong religious
credentials, was named Minister of Education to oversee the
integration of girls' education within the MOE. Neither
Prince Faisal bin Abdullah, who replaced Al-Obeid in February
2009 (see ref B),nor Ms. Al-Faiz enjoys the same legitimacy
within traditional circles. The Deputy Minister has started
wearing a veil, perhaps reckoning that concessions such as
this will purchase her some credibility.

WINNING OVER THE KINGDOM'S TEACHERS
AND REGIONAL DIRECTORS


4. (U) According to the MOE website, Ms. Al-Faiz directs
16,875 schools, 226,281 teachers, and 2,496,349 female
students. The 102 schools and 10,000 new female teachers the
MOE plans to add this year far exceed the 100 trainers and
1,000 students she oversaw as director of women's training at
the Institute for Public Administration (IPA),where she
built her reputation. When teachers called recently for
reforming the school assignment policy, Ms. Al-Faiz advised
the unhappy ones to retire or resign, displaying
insensitivity towards the long commutes that often lead to
traffic fatalities. Meanwhile, at the regional level Ms.
Al-Faiz must overcome gender segregation to engage the 42 men
directing the Kingdom's 42 male education directorates, which
Post contacts report effectively run female education as well
despite the presence of titular women counterparts. Rather
than tackling this structural problem from the outset,
however, Ms. Al-Faiz has praised the regional directors as
"creative and innovative" and rejected calls for their
replacement. At the same time, female education officials
are gaining prominence: On June 28th the male Director
General of Girls Education in the Riyadh region announced the
appointment of four women as office directors and deputy
directors within the MOE.

RIYADH 00000860 002 OF 002



CASH IS GREAT, BUT LEADERSHIP EVEN BETTER


5. (SBU) King Abdullah's increases in education funding at
all levels and a building binge for women's facilities,
together with his placement of accomplished and trusted
reformers in crucial MOE leadership positions, highlight the
fundamental role educational reform plays in his vision for
Saudi Arabia's future. Nevertheless, bold leadership at Ms.
Al-Faiz's level and below is necessary to overcome massive
bureaucratic resistance to change, whether driven by ideology
or laziness.

ERDMAN