JEDDAH: A Shoura Council report has criticized the performance and standards of Saudi universities in the field of scientific research.

The council’s report criticized the general situation in universities, arguing that universities seem to lack adequate measures to convert scientific research into industrial results, and lack, at the very least, a vision of how to take advantage of such scientific research.

The size of sources for funding scientific research in relation to the size of the gross domestic product is still low. Most universities are still primarily reliant on government support though there are four universities that obtain financial support from the private sector.

Relative to community and social services, the report indicates universities focus mainly on providing academic programs at the diploma level as well as a variety of training programs, which target specific age groups and are limited in the range of disciplines. As such programs require payment of tuition fees and maintaining a certain level of attendance. This reduces the number of beneficiaries of university programs and limits their access to scientific research, the report explained.

Unlike top institutions such as Harvard, Oxford and Johns Hopkins, the council argued that Saudi universities lack an adequate open learning system that provides self-education free of charge to the largest possible segment of society. There must be a commitment to providing a certificate and using modern communication and technical solutions to invest in education without additional costs.