RIYADH, 30 July 2007 — The Muslim Educational Society (MES), a leading Indian organization that runs 15 arts, science and professional colleges in Kerala and other Indian states, is planning to set up an engineering college in the Kingdom.
“There is a great demand for such a college here, for which Saudi sponsors are also ready,” K.K. Aboobacker, MES president, told Arab News. Aboobacker was in the capital to explore the possibility of launching such an initiative that would serve Indian expatriates and their families.
The MES president said preliminary discussions in Jeddah revealed a depth of interest among Indian expatriates, who would like their children to pursue higher education in the Kingdom. He added that, tentatively, an engineering college could be the MES’ maiden launch in the Kingdom, since India annually needs 500,000 engineers for its diverse and growing economy.
“The demand is so great that some major engineering firms are signing up students, so that they have a job on hand as soon as they graduate,” said Aboobacker.
Aboobacker is also in talks with the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA), the government agency that issues licenses for foreign investors. SAGIA has already announced its commitment to investors in the educational sector and said they would be supported through incentives.
Welcoming the MES initiative, K.S. Rajan, a veteran Indian expatriate who has been living in the Kingdom for over 30 years, said that the college could either be located in Jeddah or even the Eastern Province, which sees regular traffic between Dammam and Bahrain. “They (the MES college) could attract students not only from India but also from other countries to make the college sustainable,” said Rajan.
Besides 15 professional colleges, the MES operates 152 other educational institutions in Kerala in addition to orphanages and schools for the mentally challenged. It also awards scholarships to promising students and provides educational loans that are repayable when students graduate.
The MES started as an educational institution from the south Indian state of Kerala and has presently acquired an all-India character. Bashiruddin Babu Khan, former minister of Andhra Pradesh, is the current president of the MES at the all-India level.
