WASHINGTON: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has announced the government’s decision to increase by 50 percent the allowances given to Saudi students pursuing higher studies abroad.
King Abdullah made this announcement while receiving a group of Saudi students at his residence in the United States on Friday, soon after his arrival here.
The king urged Saudi students to work hard in their academic pursuit and become good ambassadors for the Kingdom.
“You represent Saudi Arabia and I request you to be patient and behave correctly with others,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted the king as telling the students.
Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Eissa, Saudi educational attaché in the US, thanked the king for his gesture.
The function was attended by Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf and other senior officials.
King Abdullah arrived in Washington from New York after attending a two-day meeting on interfaith dialogue organized by the UN General Assembly on Nov. 12-13.
More than 40,000 Saudi students are currently pursuing higher studies in Europe, America and Asia.
