Saudi students have become reluctant to enrol in engineering and technical colleges and inclined to join theoretical colleges, local media said quoting the latest data released by the Ministry of Education.

Experts attributed this tendency to the spread of culture of shame and embarrassment in taking up technical jobs in the society, the report said.

According to the ministry report, the rate of registration of Saudi students in technical colleges has dropped in the last five years. The rate of enrolment in 1430 stood at 8.6 percent but grew to 12.6 percent in 1431. However, in the following years, the rate steadily dropped to 6.4 percent, 5.4 percent and 5.3 percent in 1432, 1433, and 1434, respectively, the report said.

On the other hand, humanities, arts, social studies, commerce, law, education, and sciences captured 60 percent of the total enrolments of the Saudi students in universities, the report said.

The number of students enrolled in humanities and arts rose to 358,781 in 1434, or a growth rate of 64 percent in the last five years, the report said.

Paradoxically, the number of students enrolled in the areas of engineering, industries and construction did not exceed 5.3 percent. Agriculture got the least number of students where their number stood at 6,076 in 1434, 26 percent of which were female students, the report said.

It is to be recalled that the number of universities grew from 20 to 34 universities in the last seven years. Riyadh and Makkah regions had 19 universities, or 56 percent of the totals, the report said.