When I First Heard It, I Thought of Illich.
When the news broke that Saudi Arabia is building 166 “schools without walls”, I paused. As an educator who has spent years questioning the limits of traditional schooling, my mind immediately went to Ivan Illich’s provocative book, Deschooling Society.
Could this be the moment Illich envisioned?
Was a country finally ready to abandon rigid institutions in favour of open, community-led learning?
But as I dug deeper, I realised something important.
This wasn’t Illich’s revolution.
This was something far more grounded—and possibly more sustainable.
Not a Revolution, But a Reinvention
Let’s get one thing straight: Illich called for the abolition of schools as we know them. He believed formal education systems were stifling creativity, perpetuating inequality, and limiting true learning.
Saudi Arabia’s approach? It’s not about dismantling schools. It’s about reimagining them.
The “schools without walls” project, announced by Tatweer Building Company (TBC) and developed within NHC (National Housing Company) destinations, is set to create learning spaces embedded within residential communities across six major cities—Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Al Ihsa, Tabuk, and Medina.
These schools will do more than educate children from 8 to 2.
They’ll be open during evenings and weekends, acting as centres for learning, recreation, and culture for the entire community.
This is not deschooling.
This is re-schooling—with a purpose.
Where Learning Meets Living
What excites me most is the fusion of urban design with educational reform.
Instead of isolating schools from the real world, Saudi Arabia is putting them at the heart of communities. The architecture itself will reflect openness—with shared spaces, modern design, and community access at its core.
This means:
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Children will learn in environments that feel more like neighbourhoods and less like silos.
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Adults can engage in workshops, events, and activities without needing to enrol in a course.
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Education becomes a lifelong, shared experience, not a segmented phase of life.
In short, these schools are not just for students—they’re for citizens.
A Step Toward Lifelong Learning
This move is deeply aligned with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, a roadmap for social and economic transformation. And education, clearly, is a key part of that vision.
By turning schools into community hubs, Saudi Arabia is laying the foundation for lifelong learning ecosystems. They are:
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Keeping the structure of formal education,
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But expanding its purpose,
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And grounding it in the real lives of real people.
This is where I see Illich’s spirit—but not his radical call to erase the system.
This is reform, not revolt.
What Can Other Countries Learn?
This model offers inspiration far beyond the Middle East.
For countries wrestling with declining student engagement, teacher burnout, or rigid education systems, Saudi Arabia’s model says:
You don’t have to break the system to fix it.
You just have to rebuild it differently.
This could be a wake-up call to:
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Design schools that serve entire communities.
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Redefine school hours and access.
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Blur the boundaries between formal education and daily life.
This isn’t about abandoning institutions. It’s about reclaiming their purpose.
Final Thoughts: A New Blueprint for Education
As an educator, I find this shift both refreshing and hopeful.
It tells us that:
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Schools can be more than classrooms.
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Learning can be woven into everyday life.
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Education can happen anywhere—and for anyone.
Saudi Arabia’s “schools without walls” initiative may not be a revolution in Illich’s terms, but it might just be the most practical and visionary step toward humanising education that we’ve seen in a long time.
And perhaps, this is what the future of learning really looks like—not outside the system, but with the system opened up.