RIYADH, 10 October 2004 — The Stargate Institute for Education, Training & Human Resources, part of a major private sector initiative launched here to cut the Kingdom’s dependence on foreign institutions, has introduced several applied academic programs including courses for TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and other similar examinations.
The institute sponsored by Prince Abdul Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn Abdul Aziz and Prince Ahmed ibn Muhammad operates primarily in collaboration with British institutions.
“This institution, which has an open admission policy for Saudi and expatriate students, is the first in Riyadh to run preparatory courses for TOEFL and SAT besides regular diploma courses in software engineering, business system, information technology and language courses in English and Arabic,” said Huda Saeed Al-Doghair, manager of Stargate female campus.
Al-Doghair pointed out that a student above 18 years of age may seek admission to the institute, which is to be accredited by the University of East London.
The institute, she said, will shortly start preparatory courses for GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) and GRE (Graduate Record Examination). A brochure released by the institute advises local students not to go abroad, when academic institutions like Stargate and others are “on your door step”.
More than 16,000 Saudi students are currently on the rolls of different universities across the world including America. After Sept. 11 terror attacks, some 2,000 Saudis cut short their studies in the US and returned to the Kingdom.
A number of Saudi and expatriate students opt for TOEFL, which measures the ability of non-native speakers of English to use and understand English as it is spoken, written and heard in college and university settings. Most students in the Kingdom who take the TOEFL test, according to a report, are planning to study at colleges and universities where instruction is in English.
Al-Doghair said the institute will prepare students for GRE Test, which is a standardized test that graduate schools use to evaluate candidates. She pointed out that the GMAT will be introduced soon at Stargate Institute. GMAT is another standardized test that graduate business schools use to evaluate candidates. A high-profile Stargate Institute Council is dedicated to serve local students.
