Fatima Muhammad Saudi Gazette The Ministry of Higher Education has signed contracts worth SR7 billion to establish new university colleges and educational hospitals in various parts of the Kingdom. According to a senior official at the ministry, about 97 percent of secondary school graduates enrolled in universities this year raising demand for higher education facilities. To meet this demand, the Kingdom has 25 universities, a significant increase from the country's 11 universities in 2006. “A total of 328,674 male and female students were admitted to universities in the Kingdom this year. About 79 percent of them are regular students, 19 percent part time students and two percent in the parallel education program,” said the official on condition of anonymity. Speaking on the number of Saudi male and female students abroad, the official said nearly 140,000 students are currently pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in prestigious universities all over the world under the King Abdullah Foreign Scholarship Program. “The King has a great vision to build a knowledge-based generation which is qualified for the labor market and scientific research. These students are expected to satisfy demand in both the public and private sectors for qualified cadres,” he said. “The ministry has formulated a strategy for education in the Kingdom for the next 25 years. This strategy is called ‘Afaq' (Horizons) and is aimed at putting modalities for the expansion of higher education,” he added. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah recently laid down the foundation stone for the second phase of a project to construct university campuses in the tune of SR81.5 billion, clear evidence of the King's determination to invest in the country's human capital. More recently, the Ministry of Higher Education initiated a program to enhance the academic and vocational skills of university graduates. “The program is aimed at promoting the concept of a knowledge-based economy and help students find investment opportunities instead of waiting to be employed by the public or private sector. “There are also programs to help graduates turn their research ideas into marketable products. The ministry organizes an annual conference aimed at boosting the spirit of competition among university students in a number of research, education and skill fields,” he said. There were 47,997 male and female university staff during the 2011-2012 academic year and more than SR21.75 billion was spent on higher education this year, constituting 1.036 percent of the Kingdom's GDP. Also, with more than 200 research chairs in the Kingdom's universities, investments amount to nearly SR750 million. The official said the ministry made great efforts to promote research centers in universities and has even established scientific and technological programs that encourage research and innovation. “These included the Dhahran Wadi for Technology at King Fahd University for Petroleum and Minerals, Kasb Project at King Saud University in Riyadh and the Advanced Scientific Garden at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah,” he said.
