RIYADH, 16 May 2007 — Under a new scholarship scheme introduced by the Italian Embassy, Saudi students will now be able to learn Italian in Rome.

“The scheme is being introduced due to the mounting interest of Saudi students in the Italian educational system both at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels,” Nicola Orlando, consul at the Italian Embassy, told Arab News.

He said that the two-month program to learn Italian is mainly directed at secondary-level Saudi students.

The consul added that Italy is a popular destination for Saudi tourists and businessmen, pointing out that Saudi students represent an increasingly significant group of travelers from the Kingdom, who obtain Schengen entry visas from Italian missions.

Interested students have been requested to send their applications to the mission in Riyadh before May 31 and should be prepared to leave for Italy in October.

To assist the Saudis and expatriates in the Kingdom, Orlando said his mission would re-launch the Italian classes at the beginning of September next year.

He added that the whole idea of introducing such a program is to project Italy as a destination for higher studies. “We have reputable universities and colleges famous for medicine, engineering, information technology, commerce and aesthetic studies,” he said.

Italy, which ranks among the eight most industrialized countries in the world, has played an important role in European higher education. It is one of the four countries that first created the “European Area of Higher Education” (Sorbonne Declaration, May 1998), thus starting a type of higher education reform which, known as the “Bologna Process” (Bologna Declaration, June 1999), is being implemented all over Europe.

Last year, more than 22,000 Schengen entry visas were issued by the Italian consular offices in Riyadh and Jeddah, making Italy the Kingdom’s most important entry visa issuer among Schengen countries.

The Italian consul added that visas could be issued within a period of 10 days for Saudis from the time of application. However, he stressed that it takes a couple of weeks to get an interview on a visa application. The period of stay and the types of visa — single entry or multiple entry — would be decided on the visa applicants individual merit, he said.