Rising number of Saudi graduates evidence of king’s support, concern

The fact that the number of Saudi graduates from universities in 46 countries has reached 130,000 shows Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah’s support and concern for education in Saudi Arabia, according to local educationalists and students.
Besides foreign scholarships, the king gave equal attention to educating Saudis domestically. Last week, he approved a huge budget of SR81 billion for the development of higher education in the country an amount that is allocated to boost research and the education of at least 898,251 male and female students.
On the occasion of the seventh anniversary of King Abdullah’s accession to throne, Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Dawoud, Imam Muhammad Bin Saud University’s undersecretary for studies and development, said the king’s support is evidence of his concern for this vital sector.
“The noticeable improvement in higher education reflects the government’s concern for Saudi Arabia’s youths who are required to be on a par with our aspirations.”
He said he hoped that would create diversity in graduates’ specialties and fulfill the requirements of the labor market by those qualified, and subsequently continue national development and achieve the country’s programs. Minister of Higher Education Dr. Khaled Al-Anqari said in a book on higher education in Saudi Arabia that the state has allocated more than SR7 billion for a five-year plan to send Saudi students on scholarships to prominent universities in several countries.
The ministry and universities worked on improving the quality of education inside universities through a number of projects, he said.
The main projects to improve quality of education include an initiative for faculty members, one that supports the establishment and development of centers for scientific research in universities, and one that supports scientific organizations, he added.
Muhammad Al-Masoudi, cultural supervisor at the Saudi Embassy in Malaysia, believes King Abdullah’s scholarship program achieves two main goals, including development of Saudi human resources and fostering a Saudi cultural image reflected by Saudis in hosting countries.
“More than 250 Saudi students clubs in universities all over the world celebrate the National Day and display Saudi costumes and traditions from different regions,” he said.
Rawan Radwan, who graduated from a master’s degree program in Hungary more than a month ago, said she considered herself very lucky to be admitted in the scholarship program.
“However, things outside the Kingdom are not as easy as they are in the country. The large experience Saudi students abroad acquire will in many ways contribute to the country’s development when they return.”
“We learned to realize our dreams and depend on ourselves, and we will use that in serving our home country.”
Abdulaziz Al-Ghamdi, an electronic engineering student at Malaysia’s Multimedia University, said the scholarship program would contribute to development in the Kingdom in several ways, including the growth of the Saudi economy.
Al-Ghamdi, who speaks Malay, said that in addition to the fact learning the local language gives students the ability to understand, appreciate a foreign culture and live in a multicultural and religious environment, they also lead to increased job opportunities.