RIYADH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has been named winner of the prestigious “King Khaled Award for National Achievement”. Asir Gov. Prince Faisal bin Khaled, who is also the president of the King Khaled Award Committee, announced Sunday night the awards, given to outstanding individuals and organizations in four different categories.
Addressing a news conference, Prince Faisal said that the prizes would be given at a special ceremony chaired by Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Prince Naif on Dec. 19 in Riyadh.
The King Khaled Awards were created by the foundation set up in his name to commemorate the life and achievements of the late monarch. “The award given to King Abdullah reflects his visionary leadership, especially in the field of education,” said Prince Faisal, adding it was the king’s efforts in the same field that won him the prize when it was first introduced. He said that King Abdullah had expanded the educational network across the country, which currently boasts 25 universities.
“Princess Noura bint Abdulrahman Women University is the first project of its kind for Saudi girls, while King Abdullah University for Science and Technology is another major pioneering effort,” said Prince Faisal. This is in addition to the “King Abdullah Scholarships Program”, which has helped tens of thousands of young Saudis to pursue higher education in renowned universities abroad.
He said that King Abdullah, who had encouraged translation of major books and literature by introducing a translation award, had also personally extended all support to set up nanotechnology centers in the Kingdom.
The prize for social projects was shared by two major charitable organizations in the Kingdom. They are the Prince Salman Charitable Housing Society, for establishing a self-financed housing project through endowments to provide free shelter to the poor, and the Ali Kanoo Center for Kidney Dialysis in Dammam, for providing high-quality diagnostic and treatment services as well as creating awareness for kidney patients.
The award for social science was given to Ibrahim Mohammed Al-Obeidi, a faculty member at the social sciences department at King Saud University in Riyadh, for his remarkable academic contributions to the study and solving of issues of the Saudi society. “Dr. Obeidi’s recent works include problems of marriage in Saudi society, fertility among women, delays in marriage of girls and youths’ inclination to work in the urban centers of the Kingdom.”
The winner of the award for social competitiveness will be announced during the international competitiveness forum in January next year in Riyadh. The forum is being organized by Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority.
