There’s a number of noise round gender-segregated schooling in Saudi Arabia. However the Kingdom’s head of human rights says that if it wasn’t for the system in place, many younger women would miss out on being educated—herself included.
“I can inform you that we acquired a number of harsh criticism on segregating colleges,” H.E. Dr. Hala bint Mazyad Al-Tuwaij mentioned on stage in Riyadh at Fortune’s Most Highly effective Girls Worldwide Summit.
“However really, these of us who come from this a part of the world know that if colleges have been blended, many conservative households wouldn’t have despatched their women to high school within the first place,” she added.
Al-Tuwaijri has been president of the Saudi Arabia Human Rights Fee, with the rank of minister, since September 2022. It’s a job that, if it weren’t for same-sex courses, she might not have been capable of work as much as.
“Lots of the educated ladies you see in the present day, together with myself, wouldn’t be sitting right here as a result of our households again then wouldn’t have accepted the truth that we’ll be sitting subsequent to boys in excessive colleges.”
Learning English literature ready her for the worldwide job
Earlier than becoming a member of the world of labor, Al-Tuwaijri earned a bachelor’s diploma in English literature in 1998, a grasp’s diploma in English literature and drama in 2004, and, in 2011, a Ph.D. in American literature and drama all from King Saud College. Wanting again, she says the {qualifications} ready her for her present position.
“For individuals who know a bit about finding out literature, it’s not about studying tales,” Al-Tuwaijri mentioned. “Really, behind each story, there’s a tradition, historical past, philosophy, concepts …”
“My focus has all the time been on the difficulty of identification,” she mentioned. “What shapes individuals’s identification and what really informs the literature they write, whether or not it’s theater, or efficiency, or artwork generally—and that, in fact, took me to review the sociopolitical context of those areas, and the concepts, and the philosophical background to the place all of that is coming from and the place it’s taking.”
“So, with out realizing, I used to be really getting ready myself for trying right into a extra international platform of points pertaining to identification, rights, tales, and all of that.”
After graduating, Al-Tuwaijri joined KSU’s workers as a lecturer and likewise labored as an assistant professor of English literature on the college. She labored her method as much as vice chair of the English language division.
Earlier than turning into president of the Saudi Human Rights Fee, with the rank of minister, she was secretary-general of the Household Affairs Council.
“My profession has been topped and honored by this nice nation and our sensible management, who celebrated ladies, elevated their standing, and paved the best way for his or her development,” she instructed Arab Information quickly after the appointment.
Of her new position, Al-Tuwaijri mentioned: “Saudi Arabia has made nice and honorable strides within the discipline of human rights, and the testimony of simply international locations and organizations is one of the best proof.”
This story was initially featured on Fortune.com
