Speaking to reporters after inspecting progress at the university’s new campus, Al-Anqari said construction work on most colleges in the campus would be completed within the next five years.

“Some buildings including those of the College of Science and the Community College will be ready for the next academic year,” he said, adding that a mini residential district would be built inside the campus to accommodate teachers and students.

“Contracts will be signed within a few weeks to establish the College of Medical Science, the College of Medicine and the College of Engineering in addition to a support service building,” the minister said.

Al-Anqari said the return of teachers who have been sent abroad for higher studies and training would strengthen the quality of education at Saudi universities.

He also said he expects the number of Saudi teachers and professors at the Kingdom’s universities would increase dramatically during the next seven years.

Al-Anqari said water and electricity connections would be given to university buildings shortly. “We have also made alternative arrangements to supply power through generators at times of emergency,” he said.

Asked about a shortage of information colleges in different parts of the Kingdom, the minister said: “We are ready to establish such colleges in the north and south and in any province of the country if they are required and meet job market needs.”

Al-Anqari was accompanied by professor Saad bin Muhammad Al-Huraiki, the university’s president, during the tour.

Al-Huraiki holds a doctorate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree from Ohio University. He has held several important positions in Saudi universities before being promoted to the new job.

Al-Baha is one of several new universities established in the Kingdom under the instructions of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to promote higher education.

Due to being established only recently, all of the university’s majors and departments have been started from scratch, and includes modern curricula and up-to-date teaching technologies. The university has a wide variety of majors offered by 23 academic departments in four colleges.

The university started with a number of colleges that were supervised by their counterparts at Umm Al-Qura University. The university is presently undergoing a full-fledged development plan to build its main campus. Plans for more academic programs are in consideration.