Journal of Education and Learning; Vol. 9, No. 6; 2020 ISSN 1927-5250 E-ISSN 1927-5269 Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education 59 The Growing Demand for Education in Saudi Arabia: How Effective Is Borrowing Educational Models from the West? Taiseer M. Mirghani 1&2 1 College of Arts and Humanities, University of Derby, Derby, Derbyshire, the United Kingdom 2 Teaching Centre, British Council, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Correspondence: Taiseer Mirghani, College of Arts and Humanities, University of Derby, Derby, the United Kingdom, DE22 1GB. E-mail: t.mirghani1@unimail.derby.ac.uk Received: September 24, 2020 Accepted: October 28, 2020 Online Published: November 12, 2020 doi:10.5539/jel.v9n6p59 URL: https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v9n6p59 Abstract The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) considers education a top priority, and more emphasis has been placed on this following the 2016 announcement of Saudi Vision 2030. Since then, the country has witnessed several economic and social changes. As a result, the Kingdom has initiated a plan to invest in human capital through education to diversify its economy and increase employment. This includes educational reform with regard to primary and secondary education geared toward preparing students for higher education and the workplace. However, several factors may hinder the successful execution of this plan. This report will provide insights into factors such as cultural dimensions, learning profiles, the English language proficiency gap, and information on borrowing educational models from the West. It will also include some suggestions and recommendations to enhance teacher education programmes so that positive educational reform may be achieved effectively. Keywords: Bloom’s taxonomy, critical thinking skills, human capital, in-service teacher education, power distance, rote learning, Vision 2030 1. Introduction The Human Development Index (HDI), which was established by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), measures a country’s average achievement in key dimensions of human development. These are life expectancy, being knowledgeable, and the standard of living (United Nations Development Programme [UNDP], 2020). The UNDP report (2018) placed the KSA in the very high human development category—positioning it at 39 out of 189 countries and territories. The KSA has made substantial progress from 1990 to 2017, with an HDI increase from 0.698 to 0.857 points out of 1.00 (UNDP, 2018; see Figure 1). From 1990 to 2017, the gross national income (GNI) remained fairly steady; however, there was a significant increase in the education index—being knowledgeable. Being knowledgeable is the expected years of schooling for children of school entering age and years of schooling for adults aged 25 and above (UNDP, 2020).