JEDDAH, 15 July 2005 — Studies are under way to transform 102 existing women’s colleges into women’s universities or bring them under existing universities, according to Dr. Mohamed Al-Saleh, secretary-general of the Higher Education Council quoted in Al-Riyadh Arabic daily.
He said studies were also under way to review the subjects being taught at these colleges in accordance with the needs of Saudi women and job market requirements. At present only a fraction of Saudi women graduates are employed.
Crown Prince Abdullah has already instructed authorities to merge the six women’s colleges with nearly 30,000 students in Riyadh into a single university. The first phase of the Riyadh university project will cost SR300 million. The second phase includes construction of three additional colleges with a budget of SR150 million.
Abdul Rahman Al-Ahmad, the deputy education minister for buildings and facilities, said two academic complexes are being built in Jeddah and Dammam for girl students. New women’s colleges are under construction in Makkah, Madinah, Qasim, Hail, Al-Ahsa, Abha, Tabuk, Baha and Jizan, he pointed out.
Saleh also said that the Higher Education Ministry had given preliminary licenses to about 60 investors to establish private colleges in various parts of the country. “Licensing procedures for some of these colleges have reached final stages,” he said. Some investors intend to establish a series of colleges in different regions.
The government has already licensed two private universities — Prince Sultan University and Al-Faisal University and 12 private colleges, he said and emphasized the ministry’s plan to encourage the private sector to establish more educational institutions for higher learning.
The Finance Ministry offers a soft loan of SR50 million to investors intending to establish private colleges in addition to providing them with other facilities to carry out the project.
With the opening of new universities in Jizan, Hail and Al-Jouf, the number of government universities in the Kingdom would reach 15 including King Saud University for Health Sciences under the National Guard.
He said the council has approved establishment of more than 30 colleges in various parts of the country including colleges of applied medical sciences, engineering, computer science, sciences, finance and administration.
