The center is aimed at developing educational leadership at the Ministry of Education as well as educational departments in various parts of the country, making use of best practices in order to achieve international standard, an official statement said.

Prince Faisal said the establishment of the center in association with King Abdullah Project for the Development of Public Education (Tatwir) would contribute to achieving educational excellence and creating a knowledge-based society.

He said the center would provide advanced leadership training to education officials in the Kingdom by entering into alliances with leading consultancy firms and think-tanks in the world as well as making use of the expertise a number of specialists in the field.

Prince Faisal said the center would also provide consultancy services to leaders, individuals and educational institutions and other social sectors.

Deputy Education Minister Faisal bin Abdul Rahman Al-Muammar, chairman of the center’s constituent committee, said the new center would bring about qualitative progress in educational leadership development. “It will also play an important role in exploring leadership skills.”

Ali ibn Siddique Al-Hekami, director general of Tatwir, said the center would provide a variety of services to educational leadership such as training, research and consultancy, adding that it would also ensure quality and provide leadership solutions.

He said Tatwir has already started conducting a number of training programs for educational leadership including a program organized in association with Oxford University, which is being attended by educational officials in leadership positions. “We are also selecting highly skilled women educational leaders,” he added.