performing Saudi female high school students will be allowed to study engineering at King Abdul Aziz University (KAU) in Jeddah next year, according to Abdul Malik Al-Junaidi, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, reported Al-Watan Arabic newspaper on Tuesday. Those who score high marks in the Secondary Schools Certificate examination can enroll for electrical and industrial engineering studies for a period of four years, after passing the preliminary year, he added. He said the students of these two departments get paid at least SR15,000 a month after graduation – among the highest paid jobs for graduates in the country. He said the university's administration has decided to open the door for interested female graduates from the start of the 2012/2013 academic year. The faculty's council will allow 50 to 60 female students. He said the faculty's administration will work with the government and the private sector to ensure the graduates are employed immediately at an initial salary of SR15,000 a month. The female graduates will be employed in office jobs and will not have to go out in the field, said Al-Junaidi. He said an opinion poll on whether to open up studies for females at KAU was conducted over one year, covering female students, business owners and guardians. Over 92 percent of female students polled responded positively to the idea. He said KAU will be educating female engineers in these two specializations because of market demand. KAU also took the decision because female students often outperformed their male counterparts. He hoped that one of the female graduates will become a government minister one day.
