JEDDAH, 13 March 2006 — Saudi Arabia announced yesterday that it would send more students to Asian countries such as China, India, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea for higher studies in medicine, general science and engineering.
Higher Education Minister Khaled Al-Anqari said Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has approved the move, which comes in line with Riyadh’s new “look east” strategy. “More students will be sent to these five countries as well as to Australia in order to pursue studies for bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees and fellowships,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted the minister as saying.
Referring to the academic courses to be attended by Saudis in the six countries, Al-Anqari said the subjects would include applied medical sciences, pharmacology, computers, information technology, finance, insurance and marketing.
“The ministry has set up a committee to implement this higher education program,” Al-Anqari said, adding that sending students abroad for higher studies would help meet labor market requirements.
Saudi Arabia has already sent 17,588 students, including 5,045 girls, abroad for higher studies. As many as 4,839 Saudi students are in the United States, 2,064 in Britain and 1,071 in Canada.
The decision to send larger numbers of students to Asian countries follows King Abdullah’s historic visits to China, India, Malaysia and Pakistan where he explored the prospects of increasing cooperation in vital sectors including education.
The Saudi government gives utmost priority to the education and training of its young men and women, who represent more than half the population. This year it allocated 26 percent (SR87.3 billion) of the budget for education and training. The SR390 billion budget, the largest in the Kingdom’s history, gives importance to scholarship programs in order to help Saudis master modern science and technology. “We have instructed the authorities to set up a big program for scholarships in important specializations,” King Abdullah told the Cabinet’s budget session.
The Kingdom’s drive for education has attracted attention from many foreign universities. According to a source at the Ministry of Education, at least 44 foreign universities from Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia and Malaysia have made inquiries about opening branches in the Kingdom.
Britain showed the most interest, with 38 UK universities wanting to open branches in Saudi Arabia.
The institutions include Newcastle, Middlesex, Aberdeen, Greenwich and Robert Jordan universities. Their applications were made by a high level academic delegation of more than 60 officials.
According to the ministry, similar applications have been made by several American universities including the American University for Science and Technology, two Canadian universities specializing in medicine, as well as several Malaysian investors interested in the creation of a Saudi-Malaysian university. The Australian University for Technology has also forwarded an application.
