Saudi academics hail king’s vision for holistic education

Saudi intellectuals and academicians have hailed the huge grants worth SR210 billion that have recently been allocated to funding higher education.
Saudi Arabia spends 10 percent of its GDP on education, making it the highest spender on the sector in the world.
Most countries in Europe and North America spend an average of four to five percent of their GDP on education.
Speaking with Arab News, academics commended the government’s efforts in fostering career-building among Saudi youth.
They said that this move reflects Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah’s determination to develop such a vital education sector in a country where 50 percent of the population is below the age of 25.
The education sector has consistently witnessed an increase in budget allocations every year over the last five years.
The government sanctioned SR105 billion in 2008, SR122 billion in 2009, SR137 billion in 2010, SR150 billion in 2011 and SR204 billion in 2012.
King Saud University in Riyadh got the lion’s share of the budget, with SR9.5 billion, while King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah received SR5.9 billion, Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh SR4.11 billion, King Khalid University in Abha SR3.7 billion and King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran SR1.3 billion in the budget allocations announced yesterday.
According to a study conducted by Saleh Abdul Kareem of King Saud University in Riyadh, the Kingdom’s budget for education was pegged at SR666 million in 1970, with only a 15-percent literacy rate among men that year.
The government’s budget for the education sector now comprises 25 percent of the total budget and the literacy rate is above 96.5 percent, according to World Bank statistics for 2009.
“The huge budget allocation for the education sector will indeed shape the future of the nation and create opportunities for development in many areas,” commented Professor Saleh Al-Amani from the Department of Political Sciences at King Saud University in Riyadh.
“The budget for education indicates King Abdullah’s vision to transform the nation into a knowledge-based society,” he said.
Speaking with Arab News, Khalid Al-Bassam from the economics department at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah said that the budget was not only important in terms of figure, but that it constitutes a serious effort to shape the future of Saudi youth.
He said that the increase in the amount allocated for the King Abdullah Scholarship for higher studies was only natural since it is the government’s duty to support its students abroad.
Al-Bassam also hoped that the new Education Minister, Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, would bring about new reforms and further develop the education sector.
Professor Ali Ayed Shahrani of King Khalid University’s Bisha campus told Arab News that: “The new budget will enable us to implement our plans to open up new medical and engineering colleges in Bisha. The budget has equipped the Kingdom to lead the country into the 21st century,” he said.
Shahrani said, “By investing in its human capital, the Kingdom ensures lasting growth and a knowledge-based economy backed by quality education.”
“This move reflects the efforts of the government to develop youth and build a strong nation based on knowledge,” said Professor Ihsan Abulhaiqa of King Abdulaziz University.
There are currently 34,749 schools, with 276,400 classrooms being used to teach 5,187,498 students from the kindergarten (KG) to secondary level, including special education and adult education, according to statistics issued by the Ministry of Education.
There are 24 universities functioning in the Kingdom in the higher education sector.
King Saud University in Riyadh is amongst the oldest institutions, having been established in 1957.
A total of 508 colleges and institutions are affiliated with these universities, where 880,003 students are pursuing higher studies.
Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz University has the highest number of students in the Kingdom, with 132,094 students on its roll during the 2009 to 2010 academic year, according to statistics issued by the Ministry of Higher Education.