JEDDAH, 17 February 2004 — The King Khaled Charitable Foundation has decided to give SR1 million annually to support post-graduate research studies by Saudi women. The decision was announced by Princess Modhy bint Khaled, secretary-general of the charity, at the opening of the First Conference of Female Researchers in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
The amount will be given for five years in support of scientific studies at the Research Center of the King Faisal Specialist Hospital, Al-Watan Arabic daily reported. Four Saudi women students enrolled at the center this year for the first time seeking doctorates and two others seeking master’s degrees, the paper said.
The conference was held at the hospital’s Prince Salman Hall with the participation of 15 researchers who called for the removal all obstacles in scientific research. Dr. Suad Aamir, head of the research unit for breast cancer at the hospital’s research center, Dr. Sameera Islam of King Fahd Medical Research Center at King Abdul Aziz University, Dr. Fatma Jamjoom, supervisor of the medical sciences and studies department at King Saud University, and Dr. Fowziya Al-Saleh, a member of Bahrain’s Shoura Council, were among the participants.
Dr. Sameera spoke of the problems being faced by women in scientific research and studies and said they were victims of discrimination. Of the 166 medical research papers presented at King Abdul Aziz University over the past 20 years, only 17 were the work of women.
According to Dr. Fatma the present way of studying in schools does not encourage students to engage in scientific research.
In a related development, the King Abdul Aziz City of Science and Technology has instituted a third category, exclusively for women researchers, in the Al-Marai Prize for Scientific Excellence. The other categories for best scientist and best innovative work are open to both men and women.
The decision was made on the recommendation of Prince Sultan ibn Muhammad ibn Saud Al-Kabir, chairman of Almarai Company.
