RIYADH, 4 June 2003 — Minister of Higher Education Dr. Khaled Al-Angari has asked British universities to consider including medical science in the list of courses offered by 14 British universities to Saudi undergraduates seeking admission to a new four-year bachelor degree course.
He was speaking at the official launch of UK4 and the “New Route” PhD at a function held at the residence of British Ambassador Derek Plumbly on Monday night. Both courses were developed in response to a request from the Ministry of Higher Education following the restrictions imposed on Saudi students by the US government in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Ambassador Plumbly said Saudi students were always welcome to pursue higher studies in Britain. “We have always worked together, sometimes in difficult circumstances, sometimes in easier ones, building on our mutual relationship,” he said.
Welcoming the launch of the new educational programs, Dr. Al-Angari said the British Council could request universities to include medical courses among the available options. At present the courses include biomedical, physical and social sciences, engineering, business, finance and economics, humanities, law, the arts and computer sciences.
The minister said the universities might also reconsider the admission requirement of 85 percent in the aggregate for secondary students, since this would bar a majority of the students from seeking admission.
The minister said he hoped that the number of universities offering these courses would also be increased. Dr. Al-Angari also asked to be given an idea about the cost, since his ministry was in charge of the scholarship program.
In response to his question, Alan Smart, director of the British Council for Saudi Arabia, replied that the number of universities participating in the UK4 program would be doubled in due course. The universities would be those that have had Saudi students in the past and are familiar with the customs and traditions of the Gulf. “I anticipate that many universities would like to come on board in a year’s time.” He also promised to take up the matter of including medical sciences in the options with those universities.
Earlier, Smart explained that the UK4 was a program designed to provide easier and rapid access to a British undergraduate course for Saudi secondary school leavers.
