JEDDAH, 19 March 2008 — Options for students wishing to go abroad this summer on scholarships offered by the King Abdullah External Scholarship Program will be limited to postgraduate courses in Asian countries.
“We will concentrate on scholarships to Asian countries this year,” said Abdullah Al-Mousa, general supervisor of scholarships at the Ministry of Higher Education. He said that Saudi students will now be sent to Japan, China, South Korea, India, Singapore and Malaysia on government scholarships.
Al-Mousa said that the Ministry of Higher Education has 1,500 places for students in the above Asian countries, adding that the places have not been filled yet, as students are more inclined to study in Western countries rather than the East.
Since the launch of the scholarship program at the beginning of 2005, Saudi students have filed all available places for both undergraduate and postgraduate courses at universities in North America, Europe and Australia.
The general supervisor of scholarships was keen to add that contrary to rumors, scholarships to Western countries have not been suspended and that all places have been filled.
“It does not mean that we will stop scholarships in the West,” said Al-Mousa, adding that it was too early to determine whether there will be further scholarships available in Western countries for next year.
The first three years of the program saw large numbers of high school graduates traveling to universities abroad. Al-Mousa also said that only students wishing to pursue postgraduate studies would be able to apply this year.
Following an agreement signed with South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun during his visit to the Kingdom last March, up to 1,000 young Saudis will be sent to South Korea for higher studies next year.
The Asian country may become a popular destination for women students, as it is home to women-only universities. One Saudi woman is already studying for her master’s degree in chemistry at Sookmyung Women’s University in Seoul.
