MADINAH: The Knowledge Economic City Al-Madinah (KEC) this week signed a number of agreements with Saudi and Malaysian universities. The signing ceremonies took place during Noor Forum, the first-ever Islamic forum for science and knowledge, which was inaugurated by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah on Monday.
The first agreement worth $2 million was signed with the HELP University College (HUC) of Malaysia for specialized educational programs for Saudi nationals.
Tahir Bawazir, CEO of KEC, and Professor Zakaria Ahmad, executive director of HELP University College signed the deal on behalf of their respective organizations. According to the agreement, HUC will offer two Tuition Assistance Programs (TAPs) worth $1 million each to working professionals from Saudi Arabia. The two programs are the Advanced Management Program (AMP) and HELP Continuing Professional Development program (HCPD).
The beneficiaries of the program will be senior executives within the Saudi business community.
KEC is working to establish a center of learning in the city of Madinah. It endeavors to develop a network of public-private partnerships that integrates private sector interests with public sector operations in the areas of education, biomedicine, ICT/multimedia and hospitality.
Tahir Bawazir, CEO of KEC welcomed the agreement as a step in the right direction saying, “It is important to have qualified knowledge workers for long-term success of not only the Knowledge Economic City Al-Madinah but the country as well.
“By entering into an agreement with HUC, KEC hopes to contribute toward capacity building of the local talents to meet the growing demand of the economy.”
Meanwhile, KEC signed another deal that will see the opening of a premier international school in Madinah.
The proposed school will be developed and owned by KEC whereas Cempaka Schools Sdn Bhd, a Malaysian company engaged in providing quality education, has been appointed to manage, operate and provide curriculum and systems to be used in the school.
Both parties have agreed to provide maximum technical and administrative support and networking services to ensure that the school project materializes and is implemented successfully.
Deal with Taiba
KEC also signed an agreement with Taibah University to establish centers of advanced learning in Madinah. The signing took place on Monday in the presence of dignitaries attending the Noor Forum.
Taibah is a premier Saudi university that runs 22 colleges and institutes in the fields of Medicine; Education and Humanities; Science; Computer and Engineering Science; Financial and Administrative Sciences; Community; Engineering; Applied Medical Sciences; Dentistry; Pharmacy; Family Science; Arts & Science; and Applied Sciences.
