ALKHOBAR, 4 July — At least 50 of the new students at the International Philippine School in Alkhobar (IPSA) are new to the Kingdom and some of them have experienced a sort of culture shock, Arab News has learned.
Dr. Erna Yuson, the principal of IPSA, said some of the students who came all the way from the Philippines just before classes began last month had difficulty adjusting to the climate and the environment of Saudi Arabia.
To help the students in their predicament, guidance counselor Josefina Gonzaga conducted one-on-one sessions with them, telling them that even the adults who are new to the Kingdom have to make adjustments and explaining how they can adapt to their new environment.
Gonzaga also briefed the students on the laws of the host country, telling them that as long as they avoid violations, they will be in for a good stay.
IPSA has reported a total of 618 enrollees this year, of which 99 are registered as new students, including those who came from the Philippines. The rest are first timers or transferees, said school registrar Karina Agregado.
She said the figure marked a four-percent increase from their closing figure of 593 students last schoolyear.
Of the new total, 83 pupils are in pre-school, 317 are in elementary, and 218 are in high school.
Agregado said the school population reached a high mark of 632 last year but about 45 students left in midyear. Some went back home to the Philippines and others transferred to other Filipino schools, Agregado said.
There were 36 high school graduates last March, of which seven passed the University of the Philippines College Admission Test (UPCAT).
The UPCAT had been considered a badge of honor among Philippine schools in the Kingdom because it is said to be the toughest entrance examination in the country, surpassed only by that of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA).
Yuson said that IPSA has now introduced the Restructured Basic Education Curriculum (RBEC) as per directive of the Department of Education in Manila.
She said, however, that with the instructions of the Saudi Ministry of Education, they have to include the Saudi history and geography subjects starting from Grade 1, and the Arabic and Islamic subjects starting from Grade 3. IPSA hired two Saudi mentors to teach these subjects.
Yuson said that they are now using the newly constructed building which was inaugurated last November.
The three-story building housed 30 spacious classrooms that can accommodate an average of 35 children. She said the new building can accommodate up to 1,000 students.
The school has now a total of 35 faculty and 15 administrative members who are all visa holders.
IPSA is the only Filipino school in the Eastern Province not supported by any Filipino or Saudi investor, according to Yuson.
Unlike the rest, she said, IPSA is a non-stock and non-profit school.
