Director of the media department at Illinois University Arkalgud Ramaprasad was speaking at a session on the "World-Class University System" at the International Exhibition & Conference on Higher Education, which started on Tuesday in Riyadh.

Ramaprasad pointed out that in order for universities to achieve their missions, they should apply a sense of variety to satisfy various local and regional demands of its countries.

Universities should not represent an international leading model on its own, indicated Ramaprasad, but act within a unified international educational system.

Meanwhile, Jamil Salmi, higher education coordinator at the World Bank in the US, pointed out that developing economies are facing great challenges on an international level, which influences not only the structure and model of educational operations, but the whole of the higher education system.

"Both threats and opportunities appear from within those challenges" said Salmi, adding that graduate studies plays, more than ever, a major role in building knowledge economies and democratic societies.

"Therefore, conventional institutes changed their executive goals and operational strategies to manipulate the opportunities provided by communications and new media, technologies, channels and tools," said Salmi.

The conference finishes on Friday.