TAIF — The Ministry of Education said it would only accept students on its scholarship program based on the jobs available when they return home, the needs of the labor market and the specializations most in demand by the country. According to Al-Madina Arabic daily report on Sunday, the ministry will start receiving applications for scholarships from June 27. The scholarships will be issued to those looking to study the most in-demand specializations. Under the new terms and conditions, the program will be for Saudi university graduates and will not include government employees who are on the job. The ministry has signed contracts with a number of ministries and government departments to secure jobs for students before it gives them the green light to join the program. The ministry has initiated a program titled “Your Job and Your Scholarship”, under which it will give its approval for students to be sent abroad for higher studies depending on the jobs secured for them and what they will study. Ministry's sources said the new parameters to select the scholarship students would supply the ministries and government departments with employees who have the required specializations. They said the program would be beneficial to the national economy and the country's development process. The sources said the ministry aimed to prepare distinguished graduates who will be able to take over jobs waiting for them at home in an effective and productive manner. They said the government department is aiming for a balanced distribution of human resources to avoid duplicity in certain specializations and to prevent students from studying subjects that the labor market does not need. The ministry is keen to keep pace with rapid development and enable the Kingdom to be able to compete on a global scale, they said. The ministry is expected to announce its terms and conditions concerning the scholarship program soon.
