JEDDAH, 30 January 2007 — The National Charitable Fund has allocated SR80 million for educational and training scholarships this year, according to Social Affairs Minister Abdul Mohsen Al-Akkas.

He said the government has increased its allocation for the fund from SR30 million to SR300 million.

“We’ll provide scholarships to girls and boys from limited income families to attend courses required by the job market,” he said, adding that this year 1,600 scholarships would be distributed. The fund will also provide loans to the needy for small-business development.

Akkas estimated the average cost of a scholarship at SR50,000. “A scholarship to obtain a bachelor’s degree will be about SR120,000 while diplomas in specialized topics with four to five semesters will be SR50,000,” he said.

The scholarships will be distributed equally among the Kingdom’s different regions, considering the number of the poor in each region.

The scholarship program was planned as part of the national strategy to combat poverty, the minister said. “Priority will be given to scholarships in specialized diplomas that meet the needs of the job market,” he said.

The courses will be selected in consultation with chambers of commerce and industry and the Manpower Development Fund. “At present we are in contact with public and private educational institutions in order to understand the courses they offer and fees they charge to find seats for the beneficiaries of scholarship program,” he said.

Abdullah Al-Moaiqal, secretary-general of the fund, said the scholarship is one the five main programs of his organization. Other four activities are: awareness and guidance program; productive family program; small-scale projects; and employment program.

The National Charitable Fund has previously extended a large number of scholarships to deserving students in different regions. Last year it gave 108 scholarships including 50 in medical training.

Under the programs for productive families and small-scale projects, it gave 60 interest-free loans for small-scale projects in Jizan and 110 loans in the Eastern Province. Last year it gave 90 scholarships including 50 for higher studies abroad. The fund began with an initial capital of SR30 million.

Under a government scholarship program worth SR10 billion, some 20,000 students have already been sent abroad for higher studies. Officials said another 8,000 students would benefit from scholarship grants, taking the total tally this year to 28,000.