Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — Saudi graduates of private and international secondary schools can now join Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah's scholarship program to do their higher studies abroad, a Ministry of Education source has said. The ministry has given its approval to consider secondary school certificates granted by private and international schools as equivalent to those granted by government secondary schools, the source was quoted by Al-Hayat daily as saying. The source said the ministry has already given its consent to the Ministry of Higher Education so that graduates from private and international secondary schools can benefit from the scholarship program. The source revealed the ministry's consent was governed by the condition that private and international schools should be operating under valid licenses from the ministry and that the certificates should be authenticated by provincial departments of education. He said: “The ministry has also agreed to consider the certificates of Saudi male and female students who complete their secondary school education in an Arab or a foreign country as equivalent to the Saudi secondary school certificate.” The source said that in order to be considered for a scholarship, the secondary school certificates obtained from Arab or foreign countries should be authenticated by the local Saudi cultural attachés. “The male or female student must also present proof of admission to an institute recognized by the ministry, whether in Saudi Arabia or abroad, in order for us to consider his/her certificate as equal to a government school one.” The source said the ministry took this step after a number of Saudi graduates of private and international schools inside the Kingdom and abroad complained that their certificates were not considered equal to government school certificates, preventing them from completing their university education in or outside the country. They also wanted to benefit from the scholarship program.
