Under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Saudi Arabia is currently undergoing a revolution in education.
Vigorous efforts are being made to upgrade education at all levels, from primary to higher studies and research.
The government is making huge investments and seeking the cooperation of domestic and international educational institutions to upgrade the Kingdom's academic quality.
Thousands of students are being sent abroad on scholarship programs to pursue higher education.
King Abdullah, who realizes the vital role played by education and knowledge in establishing the Kingdom at the forefront of developing countries, has allocated huge funds to expand existing universities and establish new centers of higher education and research.
Older universities are under pressure to replace their outdated curriculums with modern ones that will enable Saudi youths to face the challenges of the modern job markets and eventually phase out foreign manpower.
“Like other universities in the Kingdom, King Abdulaziz University (KAU) has undergone a sea change with updated buildings, laboratories and trained manpower, enabling it to achieve international academic accreditation,” Osama Tayeb, the university president said.
He added many academic programs at the university are shortly expected to receive international accreditation, in addition to the 33 already accredited.
According to him many departments in the university have also been awarded quality and administrative certifications. Tayeb noted that the number of those benefiting from the university, including students, faculty members and administrative staff, is increasing.
“We have applied for a number of patent rights for inventions and won awards in many tough scientific research competitions,” he added.
Another major achievement of the university is the introduction of a business knowledge system comprising think tanks, business parks and centralized laboratories.
The university has an endowment fund to sponsor research projects. It has signed a number of contracts with national and international institutes for research and intellectual activities.
“The university has also been honored with the task of developing several newly established universities and colleges. The services of the university are even sought by academic and research institutes outside the Kingdom,” Tayeb said.
“For instance, Madrid's Business Administration University is setting up an Islamic Economic Center in Spain with the help of KAU. Some European universities have been sending their students to KAU as part of student exchange programs.”
The strength of the university is in its students, administrators, technicians and teaching staff that totals 150,000, he said.
“Each one of them has a role in the plans and achievements of the university.”
New programs and courses launched at the university include e-learning, part-time study and distance education systems, a digital library and increased postgraduate programs. It also offers increased support to researchers to achieve academic excellence.
“The university also aims to develop the personalities of students, with stress on our culture, patriotism and Islamic identity and values. With this aim some faculties have been restructured and curricula changed,” Tayeb said.
According to him the university has been interacting with all sections of society, including the governmental, industrial, commercial and financial sectors. The establishment of think tanks involving faculty members, who are experts in their respective fields, is a pioneering move in the Kingdom.
Tayeb added that the university provided faculty members with plenty of research facilities and opportunities to develop their skills, as well as providing them with international exposure. “Other universities are emulating us. We have also introduced several prizes and financial incentives to encourage both administrative and technical staff to develop a competitive mindset to increase their level of performance.”
The university's successful programs helped various administrative departments win ISO accreditations.
The efficiency of administrative staff has been developed with the help of a number of programs inside the Kingdom and abroad. Employees are given financial incentives for better performance in addition to speedy promotions and salary rises.
“The march to progress is not an easy course. The university had to face many problems relating to the incorporation of women's colleges and their staff to the university, the construction of required infrastructure and geographical expansion of the university among others,” Tayeb said.
The university has been benefiting from the various agreements it signed with a number of international centers of higher learning.
Tayeb said several new agreements involving exchange programs and projects with the aim of updating university education and research studies would be established.
“The university’s program of business incubators, think tanks, entrepreneurship programs and special programs for talented students are a few instances of the university's efforts to reconstruct the job market in the Kingdom with Saudi manpower that is fully equipped to match the demands of the country's growing economic power and global status.”
He added that the university should establish its global presence, projecting its “proper image” in various local and international events.
“We should acknowledge our failure in projecting the university's proper image which may be the result of our scientists' modesty in talking about their achievements and reluctance to appear before the media,” Tayeb said.
He added strategic planning requires clever thinking and the ability to take constructive criticism and adapt to better methods as well as identifying the best talent.
