20 percent of Saudi students enrolled in top international universities

Mecca, Asharq Al-Awsat- The Deputy Minister of Higher Education for Educational Affairs, Dr. Mohammed al-Ohali, revealed in a statement to Asharq al-Awsat that Saudi Arabia is looking into the expansion of its educational opportunities, which is a strategic goal towards transforming the country into a knowledge-based society. This, however, necessitates a rise in enrolment rates with regards to university education.

Al-Ohali said that this goal will be achieved through a variety of means, including establishing new universes within the country, offering more scholarships abroad, agreeing cooperation programs between local Saudi universities and international institutions, and opening research centres within local universities, these are all targets which Saudi Arabia is aiming to achieve as part of its educational agenda.

The Deputy Minister of Higher Education added that the paths to achieve the goals of education expansion may lead in a variety of directions, and if various means are used this does not mean there will be any contradiction between them. For example, with regards to foreign scholarship programs the Ministry is keen to regulate the quality of universities that students are sent to. At the same time, al-Ohali said that more Saudi universities are seeking to acquire greater academic credits to improve their output, in order to adapt to the requirements of developments and the labour market. Hence, scholarships and domestic education are developing along two parallel lines.

Al-Ohali added that “the expansion in scholarships does not reflect negatively on the quality of education offered by local Saudi universities. We have seen how the quality of education offered to students in domestic universities has paid off, when graduates were later sent on scholarship programs abroad. Indeed, their ambitions and qualifications met the international criteria and standards required by foreign universities and the high-quality education they offer. In turn, this broadened international perceptions [of Saudi education].”

As evidence, the Deputy Minister of Higher Education revealed that 20 per cent of Saudi students sent abroad on scholarships are currently enrolled in the world’s top 10 universities in Europe, Canada, the United States and Australia. He went on to say that “some Saudi students, although not enough, are of a distinguished quality and are accepted by outstanding universities.”

Al-Ohali said that international universities continue to grant admission to Saudi students who later go on to graduate, thus these universities continue to hold Saudi students in high regard. Al-Ohali maintained that such universities are not seeking to enhance their status or grant favours when it comes to their curriculum or academic discourse, but rather they have found Saudi students to be proficient and dependable in a variety of disciplines.

The Deputy Minister of Higher Education added that a knowledge-based society requires greater opportunities and channels for education, a target which the education strategy in Saudi Arabia is seeking to accomplish for multiple categories of citizens.

Al-Ohali said that students intending to study abroad must be aware that the “enrolment” program only incorporates highly recommended universities, indicating that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosque’s Scholarship Program has a set of conditions and criteria for admission. For instance, the scholarship program that the quality of institution must be commensurate with the program’s development requirements. This all is decided by a joint committee that incorporates officials from the Ministries of Higher Education, Civil Service and Finance, who select the required criteria for the scholarship program.

He added that the criteria for undergraduate scholarships are different to that of post-graduate degrees, apart from obvious differences between one university and another. He stressed that students who have gained a place in the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Scholarship Program are more distinguished than those who choose to study abroad and pay for themselves.

Asked about the relatively young age of those enrolled in foreign scholarships, al-Ohali said that this was everyone’s responsibility: the student, the parents and society in general. There are some youths who have a great degree of awareness and know what is useful to them and to their future, whereas there are others at the age of 18 who do not know their appropriate field of study yet. Therefore, the Ministry of Education has acted to make outreach programs available for high school and university graduates, in order to broaden their knowledge of the opportunities that best fit their skills and interests.

Al-Ohali added that one of the targets of the preliminary [undergraduate] year is to give male and female students the opportunity to become acquainted with the requirements of university life, the chance to sample subjects from different departments, and the opportunity to “select” a major, which is indeed a necessity. Hence specialized programs are offered to raise students’ awareness in this regard.

Asked about Saudi women’s participation in the labour market and the need for increased awareness of their needs, al-Ohali said that plans should be commensurate with women’s prospected ambitions so that achievements are possible. Nevertheless, these plans should be drawn up in a manner that maintains the Islamic and Arab identity of Saudi society.

Dr. Abdullah Bin Abdul-Aziz al-Mousa, the Deputy Minister of Higher Education for Scholarships Affairs, had emphasized previously that the number of those enrolled in the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Scholarship Program is expected to rise to 12,000 students in different countries.