The British envoy, who visited the British Council stand and various participating universities from UK, expressed his appreciation. “I congratulate the Saudi authorities and the minister of higher education for this world-class event.”
He said British education’s quality was in the top 10 in the world and Cambridge University is No. 1. “We have 75 institutions in Higher Education participating in this year event and we have 80,000 Saudi students in the UK studying under King Abdullah’s Scholarship Program. We are delighted indeed that this link is growing in this sector and we think that more Saudis are going to UK and the result of this event will further strength this link.”
Many major Saudi universities also participated in the expo including King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST) and Princess Nora bint Abdul Rahman University.
KAUST Executive Vice President Nadhm Al-Nasr said that Saudi Arabia was witnessing extraordinary expansion and strengthening of its education. As such it needed world partnership and collaboration in this process. He thought that the world gathering prestigious universities was a really wonderful experience that would serve the Kingdom in both the short and long term.
“By 2020, KAUST will be characterized by cutting-edge, basic and goal-oriented research in science and technology comparable to that of the world’s top 10 science and technology universities,” he said.
He opined that the success would be demonstrated by publications in Science, Nature, and other prestigious professional journals; a significant number of scientific discoveries and technological innovations; and a high average citation index (ISI) among KAUST faculty.
“A focus on research and academic activities are areas where KAUST can be exceptional by global standards. The focus will be on impact rather than quantity, and KAUST will have Research Centers that are recognized as world leaders in their fields,” he added.
Dr. Huda Mohammad Saleh Al-Ameel, Rector of Princess Nora University said the IECHE 2012 was a valuable event that Saudi Arabia must take advantage of and appreciate.
“The interesting thing in this event, besides the expo, is that it opens wide horizon and addresses issues in the sector there we and our counterparts from around world interact and share our experience,” she said, adding that there were 40,000 students in the university, pursuing 13 assorted courses.
Outlining the important fields of specialization at the university, Dr. Huda said that at this moment it was offering courses that are sought after by women, such as health, education and commerce. She added that Nora University was also offering scholarships for deserving students from the Kingdom and abroad. She said the university had 200 students from around the world and taught them Arabic before taking up a course. They also provide free accommodation, food and other facilities.
Dr. Huda said stressed the importance of women’s role in serving the society, promoting sense of citizenship and social responsibility through programs, studies, projects and social partnerships that contributed to integrate the university with society and to achieve sustainable development in accordance with Islamic values.
Vice Dean of University of Pennsylvania, Nora E. Lewis indicated that she was amazed by the tremendous event. “It is my first visit to Saudi Arabia and am really very pleased to be here at this tremendous event, very important conference and my university is delighted in participating in it.
She said: “I have spoken to Saudi undergraduates and its seems to me that there are large number of students who are interested in studying in international universities around the world. Our university has already ongoing partnership with Saudi universities, especially in nursing. Through our English program at KAUST and Aramco, we are interested in getting more and offer our services.”
