“There are 517 male and female students in Yemen and we’re likely to bring them back following the killing of a Saudi student named Muhammad Al-Kuthairy in Sanaa last week,” a local Arabic daily quoted Al-Moussa as saying.
He said the Ministry of Higher Education has stopped the monthly stipends of Saudis studying in Yemen and asked them to look for other universities either in Saudi Arabia or abroad other than in Yemen in order to continue their studies.
“We have taken this decision in order to ensure the safety of our students,” Al-Moussa said, adding that continuous violence in Yemen has destabilized the country.
According to media reports, Al-Kuthairy, 23, was shot dead in Yemen last week. The Saudi Embassy in Sanaa confirmed the death of Al-Kuthairy who was studying at the University of Science and Technology in Sanaa. Yemeni authorities are investigating the incident.
“We have told the students in Yemen to come back and the cultural attaché in Sanaa has already informed them about our decision,” he said.
However, he said many Saudi students have refused to come back and continued their education in Yemen. “A few days ago some students came to the ministry and requested that they be allowed to go back to Yemen,” he pointed out.
Al-Moussa said the ministry had given the students clear instructions to shift their studies to universities in other countries. “We have refused to accept the decision of some students who said they are going back to Yemen on their own responsibility,” he said.
He also pointed out the ministry has not sent any students to Arab countries on the King Abdullah Foreign Scholarship Scheme.
“Some Saudis who have been studying in Arab countries at their expense have been included in the scholarship scheme lately,” he added.
