JEDDAH, 18 September — Efforts are under way to establish a private university of science and technology in the summer resort of Taif. The foundation stone for the project would be laid within three months, according to Dr. Zuhair ibn Ahmad Al-Sibae, general supervisor of the project.
Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, who is the honorary president of the university, was recently briefed on the university which will have four colleges for medicine, nursing, health administration and health information management in the first phase.
“An account has been opened with an initial investment of SR25 million to implement the project,” Sibae said, adding that the project is open for Saudis to invest. Prince Sultan has contributed SR10 million to conduct feasibility studies and prepare initial designs of the project.
“This is an important project initiated by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd and Prince Abdullah, the regent, to create more educational opportunities for Saudi students,” he said.
There are eight universities in the Kingdom, located in Riyadh (two), Makkah, Jeddah, Madinah, Dhahran, Dammam and Abha. These universities are not enough to accommodate the growing number of secondary school graduates in the country.
Sibae said that Saudi businessmen have been convinced of the significance of setting up private universities and colleges in various parts of the Kingdom to meet the increasing educational and manpower development requirements.
“We have made plans for the university and its colleges in cooperation with the University of Arizona in the US and UNESCO and have presented its curriculum to the Higher Education Ministry for approval,” Sibae said.
Fouad Alauddin, a representative of Arthur Andersen, recently briefed Prince Sultan on the economic feasibility of the project while Basil Hasan, architectural consultant, gave him a presentation of the project.
The government has allocated a 250,000 square meter plot in Hawiya to implement the project. A meeting held in the presence of Prince Sultan selected businessmen Abdul Rahman Faqeeh, Abdullah Al-Harithy and Yahya Bin Laden, Dr. Zuhair Al-Sibae and Dr. Abdullah Dahlan as members of the university’s board of trustees.
The Council of Ministers recently approved in principle a proposal to establish two private universities by converting Prince Sultan Private College and clubbing the private colleges of King Faisal Charitable Foundation.
Plans are also under way to open 38 new private and public colleges in various parts of the country, focusing on specializations required by the job market. Higher Education Minister Dr. Khaled Al-Anqari said six new community colleges will open this academic year, each admitting 4,000 students.
The government gives top priority to education and manpower development. It has allocated about one-fifth of its general budget, or SR49.38 billion, to the sector this year. There are now 11,856 public schools, including 1,475 secondary schools in the country, in addition to thousands of private schools.
The Girls Education Department runs 13,598 schools, institutes and colleges with 2.22 million students and 214,262 female teachers and administrators.
