JEDDAH: A total of 5.5 percent of Saudi students were studying abroad, compared to the global average of 0.6 percent in 2013, according to a report in a local publication recently.

There were 55.8 percent pursuing bachelor’s degrees, 24.4 percent master’s degrees, 1.9 percent enrolled in fellowships, and 7.5 percent in doctorate programs.

The report quoted statistics issued by the Education Observatory for 2013, showing 32.9 percent of students abroad studying social sciences, business and law, 22.3 percent engineering, production and construction, and 16.7 percent social welfare studies.

There were 71,773 foreign students studying at Saudi universities, representing 4.8 of all international students seeking higher education outside their own countries.

The Ministry of Education has launched a number of initiatives, in coordination with several government authorities, to help Saudi students secure jobs before pursuing their scholarships.

Initiatives such as “Your Job, Your Scholarship” help students find jobs in the public sector based on several indicators, such as the importance of the industry, number of available jobs, and demand for a certain specialty. Several agreements are signed annually to employ these students when they graduate. The notable agreements include Saudi Arabian Airlines employing 3,000 pilots and 1,000 aircraft maintenance technicians, the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency hiring 5,000 scholarship students for insurance and finance posts, and the Saline Water Conversion Corporation employing 1,000 engineers. Agreements were also signed with King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy for 1,000 scholarship students, the Ministry of Health for 20,000 doctors and specialists in medical sciences, the Military Industries Corporation for 5,000 engineers, and the Ministry of Social Affairs for 1,000 students.

The government’s spending on education makes up 25 percent of the state budget, and increased from SR122.1 billion in 2012 to SR213.48 billion in 2013.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Azzam Al-Dakhil, said that the Kingdom has been heavily involved with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the international community to meet sustainable development goals announced by the United Nations General Assembly last September.