“We have enough number of government and private universities. It is the content not the number that matters,” he said.
Al-Saif said the ministry had not yet taken a decision on the requests for opening of more private universities. “The ministry is responsible for the output it presents to the labor market. It is endeavoring to upgrade the quality of the private education,” he added.
The deputy minister denied any intention to reduce the current university tuition fees but said the ministry would intervene if the fees were too high.
He also said the ministry had no intention of opening new government universities next year but would rather focus on supporting the emerging universities and on completing the basic infrastructure of the university towns.
Al-Saif revealed that the ministry was involved in a number of investment projects including hotels, sport cities and malls.
Asked about the electronic university that was approved by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, the deputy minister said it would soon launch its programs. “The university will present lectures and classrooms electronically for people inside their homes,” he said.
Al-Saif was confident that the electronic university would change much of the attitudes about the concept of distant learning and said it would resolve part of the problem of the inadequate opportunities to enroll for master and Ph.D. degrees in the Saudi universities.
“The electronic university will be very strong. It will have educational agreements with two universities. The universities that will join forces with the electronic university are Melbourne University in Australia and Boston in the US. It will also have international experts in its board of trustees,” he concluded.
