JEDDAH, 19 June 2003 — With Saudis apparently avoiding English language courses in the West, many African, Asian and Far Eastern countries have begun to attract them. One of these is South Africa, which has announced English language and other courses for students.
“One of the measures we’re taking is to issue visas to Saudis on the day they make an application,” Consul General Mohammed Dangor told reporters at the Jeddah-based Al-Forsan English Language Institute.
“In the present context, issuance of visas is taking a few days because of a backlog caused by the increased number of applications. The consulate, however, stipulates that an application for a visa should be made at least 14 days prior to planned departure,” he added.
“Last year, we issued 500 visas in Jeddah and 387 in Riyadh. We have not denied a visa to a single Saudi family so far,” he said, adding that Saudis who are interested in investing in real estate could also explore areas such as tourism and education for their investments.
He congratulated the Jeddah institute on becoming the official local representative of the South Africa-based International House (IH) which is celebrating 50 years of language teaching and learning.
“IH excels in teaching and professionalism and is committed to continuing both. It also has a comprehensive range of programs of the highest standards at low cost,” he said, adding that his country offered the best of courses in a variety of fields, including medicine and mining technology.
“Medical safari is emerging as a new dimension to South Africa’s tourism,” said Dangor who was accompanied by Khalifa M. Saeed, tourism officer at the consulate.
Dangor said the country, with 14 states and a population of 170 million, could boast an independent judiciary, a world-class legal system, sophisticated financial markets and a strong image of corporate and public sectors.
“The country is culturally diverse and has everything from safari to sea and from seafood to shopping malls for visitors and tourists from all over the world,” Dangor added.
Al-Forsan’s Director Ibrahim Yehia Al-Gerb and Assistant Manager Mohamed Tayib Gusti gave details of the institute’s programs and various facilities available to Saudi students seeking enrollment in IH English language courses in South Africa.
“We also offer distance learning and online programs for Central State University California through an Egyptian educational service in addition to our own basic and advanced computer courses,” Al-Gerb said.
