The minister of higher education has confirmed that the modern university cities have the potential and resources to manage the student population, which is expected to increase with about 1 million over the next five years.
Khaled Al-Anqari denied claims that the number of scholarships under the King Abdullah Scholarship Program is low, saying, “These numbers are not modest when compared with the countries that experience economic growth similar to the Kingdom’s.”
He continued, “The King Abdullah Scholarship Program is ambitious and distinctive, not only with the testimony of Saudi specialists, but also of those around the world that receive Saudi students. Other educational institutions, like UNESCO, have also expressed admiration for what the Kingdom is doing to prepare its citizens and youth – male and female – internally and externally to build a strong future.”
He pointed out that the number of Saudis studying under scholarships at premier international universities across the world is currently more than 150,000.
“This is the highest percentage of students studying under government grants in the world, and the third highest in number of students studying abroad, after China and India.”
Al-Anqari added: “The current number of students has increased from the previous planned number, and I do not think that there is anything that prevents us from increasing the amount of scholarships if the need arises.”
He said there was no doubt that the university cities were built and established in a modern way, and that many teaching assistants had been granted scholarships to return as professors at these universities. “This indicates careful planning, strong support, and direct supervision of the leadership to ensure high quality university education,” he said, adding that the new universities and colleges could absorb hundreds of thousands of additional students.
During the opening of a seminar on higher education for girls in the Kingdom, held on Monday evening at King Saud University (KSU) in Riyadh, Al-Anqari spoke about the massive expansion of universities and the number of students admitted each year. This continues to increase and is expected to reach around a million students over the next five years.
At the sidelines of the seminar, Abeer Al-Harbi, associate professor at the KSU mathematics department, explained that the girl students’ management at local universities did not have absolute administrative and financial powers, which made it impossible to carry its duties properly. She recommended separating departments at independent colleges and developing effective leadership positions, so that the administration could carry out its duties without delay.
