LONDON: Minister of Higher Education Dr. Khaled Al-Angari gave immediate approval for all requests of students who queued to speak to him in person at the end of his open meeting with Saudi students studying in the UK on Monday at the Saudi Cultural Bureau of the United Kingdom and Ireland based in London.
“Since I came to the UK five years ago, this is the first time that the minister have an open meeting with students,” said Ibrahim Al-Sini, head of the Saudi students clubs in the UK.
The minister talked about issues concerning students in the UK and Ireland and listened to their problems. He was open and patient to receive questions, suggestions and even complaints of the Ministry of Higher Education itself from student.
“Even the British security guard said that he has never seen such an open, friendly meeting between a minister and people from the public anywhere before,” Al-Sini said.
Some of the over 400 students were only there to listen, others wrote letters addressing the ministry to reach the minister at a later time.
Some were lucky enough to have met and spoken to the minister directly addressing their problems and received immediate signed solutions to their requests with the word “approved.”
Some were asking to extend their scholarships, others wanted to change their field of study. Some were requesting to join the scholarships program.
The minister said that those who are high school graduates should consider going for studies in the US or Canada where there are still spaces for Saudi students to pursue their English-language courses.
Students were complaining of the large number of Arab speakers, mostly Saudis, in their classes, which hinders their ability to learn English.
“Every extra Saudi student means a lower quality learning. I had a student who said that he is in English class with 14 Saudi students and three Arabs. How could he learn English properly? This is not only bad, but it puts the learning process in risk,” Al-Angari said.
He said that it is sad that some students are going to weak language schools.
“Three students came to me telling me that they are not learning much. I tried to speak to them in English and their English wasn’t good,” he said.
Some students have decided that staying in the UK to finish their bachelor’s degrees is not at their interest and have decided to travel somewhere in the US where Saudi students are not clustered in English classes.
“Sometimes not providing a scholarship for students to study English in a certain country is for their own benefit in the long-run. However, all students who are doing their post-graduate studies can speak to Dr. Ghazi Makki, the Saudi cultural attaché in the UK and Ireland, and join the scholarship program,” he said.
As for the extra 50-percent increase in allowances for dependents of the students, the minister asked students to look at the positive side of the issue, which is a 50-percent increase in allowances for students.
“Students are looking toward at a new request, which is increasing the dependents’ allowances, and did not appreciate the new increase for students,” the minister said.
He said that the increase was 25 percent in the first place but the king doubled it because he wants Saudi students to be stable when studying abroad.
“I still have hope. The matter is in the king’s hands now,” Al-Sini said.
Representatives of Saudi students in the UK and Ireland, including Al-Sini, handed the king a letter here last week asking him to consider giving a 50-percent allowance increase for dependents of students along with the same increase of students that was applied starting November.
