QUNFUDAH – The Shoura Council has recently approved a recommendation for transforming the Umm Al-Qura University's branch here into a university that will be named after the governorate itself, Al-Madina daily reported. The recommendation came following the increasing number of high school students who graduate from Qunfudah schools and have to go to other cities in order to enroll in university because the Umm Al-Qura University branch and local colleges cannot accommodate the rising number of students. Former director of education in Qunfudah Muhammad Bamahdi said the current campus of Umm Al-Qura University had seen a gradual increase in the number of students over the past years. Today the branch different specializations such as Arabic, Islamic education, physical education, art education, sciences, English language, computer science, engineering, medicine, health sciences, higher studies programs and diplomas for male and female students. Ahmed Al-Mashee, from Qunfudah, said every year around 3,800 students graduates from high schools in the governorate whose population has reached 63,000. This indicates a steady increase in demand for higher education, he said. "The new university will also accommodate students from nearby governorates, villages and towns and help achieve the objectives of Vision 2030 aiming to build a strong generation that is ready to face the challenges and play an active role in building a robust economy for the country. The university will build the capabilities of students and help them unleash their skills and talents," Al-Mashee said. According to Abdulrahman Halawani, a member of the tourist development committee in Qunfudah, the goovernorate comes third in terms of commercial and economic importance and has all the potentials for development. The leadership attaches great significance to the development of the governorate, he added. A plot of land with an area of six million square meters has been allocated for the university project.
