The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is considered a distinguished example of educational progress in the Middle East and North Africa. As early as it foundation period, Saudi Arabia understood and emphasized the importance of education as a means to development. Today, Saudi Arabia is among the leading countries in annual expenditure on education, with an impressive 25% of its national budget going into the advancement of education. As a result of this large investment, Saudi Arabia has managed in less than eight decades to build 31,798 schools; 68 technical institutions; 24 universities; train 435,343 academic staff; educate 5,106,162 students and provide free tuition, textbooks, and health care for more than 5 million students.
By 2005, there were 11 major universities, a large number of vocational institutes, and a growing number of private colleges. As of the 2004-05 academic year, approximately 200,000 students were enrolled at Saudi universities and colleges, compared to 7,000 in 1970 - a dramatic improvement. Out of the 200,000 students, more than half were female.
King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz
Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz became the King of Saudi Arabia on 1st August, 2005, following the death of his brother King Fahad. King Abdullah's reign has been characterized by a number of important reforms and achievements, which have elevated the Kingdom to an advanced rank among the world's countries. Education is at the heart of reform King Abdullah has promoted since taking office in 2005 with the launching of a $2.4 billion education programme in the same year.
King Abdullah has given top priority to education and training of young Saudi men and women and allocated more than 25 percent of the national budget for the purpose. During his rule, the number of government universities jumped from eight to 24, giving students in all parts of the country access to higher education. More than 80,000 Saudis are now pursuing higher education in reputed international universities. There are more than 33,000 schools in the kingdom with more than five million students representing a third of the nation's population, and nearly 500,000 male and female teachers.
King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz's accession to the throne in 2005, has been followed by a period of remarkable changes sparked by major social, education, health and infrastructure projects across the kingdom. Saudi Arabia is making massive investments in the education of its future generations to achieve a knowledge-based economy on the directives of King Abdullah, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. The kingdom's leadership has introduced policies for education development in the kingdom through the expansion of university education and opening of more universities.
King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST)
KAUST is one of the major achievements of King Abdullah. The most notable aspect of King Abdullah's accomplishments in the advancement of education in September 2009 was the launch of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology - KAUST - in Thuwal, a ceremony which was held in the presence of senior representatives from Arab and Islamic nations and other countries across the globe. The facility which is supported by a multi-billion dollar endowment, is described as the culmination of a decades-long vision of the King, and is an international graduate-level research university, open to men and women from around the world, and governed by an independent, self-perpetuating Board of Trustees.
On September 23, 2009 when King Abdullah inaugurated the world-class university in Thuwal, a fishing village, 80 km north of Jeddah, he was not only realizing a dream that lived in his heart for 25 years but he was driving home a strong point that the Muslim world has to achieve scientific and technological progress in order to join the league of developed countries.
Located along the coast of the Red Sea in Thuwal, KAUST's 5.5 million square-foot campus would spread out over 100 acres in one of the world's most extreme climates. KAUST focuses exclusively on graduate education and research, using English as the official language of instruction. It offers programmes in life sciences, engineering, computer sciences and physical sciences.
KAUST has brought in a number of experts from various fields such as science, engineering and economics to exchange their experience and knowledge with Saudis. The mission of KAUST involves catalyzing diversification of the Saudi economy through innovation and enterprise as well as connecting people and improving lives through science and technology and food issues - specifically plants for harsh environments. Technological change is taking place much faster than cultural change and this gap sometimes causes problems. KAUST is playing a role in bridging this gap through the Red Sea Science and Innovation Forum which will bring together scientists and technologists with a broad spectrum of those not involved in science and technology.
KAUST is focusing on a number of key areas for sustained prosperity, including renewable energy, clean water for the 21stcentury, KAUST organizes interdisciplinary collaborative research teams of faculty and students without regard to disciplinary boundaries, across three academic divisions: i) Chemical and Life Sciences and Engineering; ii) Mathematical and Computer Sciences and Engineering; and iii) Physical Sciences and Engineering.
KAUST offers two graduate programmes in the various fields: a Master of Science degree (18 months) and a Ph.D. programme (3-4 years involving original research that culminates in a dissertation). Degrees are offered in 11 fields of study.
KAUST focuses on research that applies science and technology to problems of human need, social advancement and economic development. Four strategic research thrusts build KAUST's research agenda: Resources, Energy and Environment; Biosciences and Bioengineering; Materials Science and Engineering; Applied Mathematics and Computational Science.
KAUST currently has 800 students. The majority of these students are enrolled in Masters programme, but the Ph.D. student population is growing steadily as of 2011. The student population comes from over 60 different nationalities from all continents. The largest single national representation is from China with Mexico in second place. Saudi Arabia is the third most prevalent nationality of the student make-up.
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) has become a flagship institution in the Kingdom's plans to develop into a "Knowledge based society" matching the most advanced countries in the world.
King Abdullah's Scholarship Programme
King Abdullah's Foreign Scholarship Programme is the largest scholarship programme in the history of the Kingdom. Currently more than 130,000 Saudi students are pursuing different fields of study in some of the best universities in the world.
King Abdullah's scholarship programme was established in 2005 to sponsor highly qualified Saudi students to continue their studies in different universities across the globe. Since the inauguration of the scholarship programme as many as 62,000 Saudi students have been sent to various colleges and universities around the world. The programme is an integral aspect of the Kingdom's comprehensive education plan, focusing on job creation so that future generations are prepared to compete in an increasingly global economy. The students were sent to more than 21 different countries to pursue their undergraduate and graduate studies in a variety of academic fields.
In its scholarship programme, the Saudi government has allotted SR10 billion to fund Saudi students pursuing their higher education around the globe from the US to China. The programme is open for different disciplines including medicines, engineering, modern sciences, law, e-commerce, insurance, finance and paperwork with the Saudi cultural attaches in their countries of study.
Six years ago when the project started in 2005, there were only 2,500 students subscribed and the present figures reveal how much they have increased in the US alone. Women account for a third of the 47,000 Saudi students on the King Abdullah Foreign Scholarship programme in the United States.
As many as 106,065 Saudis have so far obtained King Abdullah Foreign Scholarship to pursue their higher studies in reputable international universities in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, Malaysia, China and other countries. Among these students 15 percent have joined courses of medicine and medical sciences, 14 percent for computer science courses, 10 percent for engineering courses and 26 percent for administrative and financial courses.
Of the total students on foreign scholarships, 47,397 have joined for bachelor degree courses, 22,370 for Masters Degree courses, 5,026 for doctoral degree courses and 1,835 for fellowship courses.
The US has received 30 percent of Saudi scholarship students, followed by the UK 15 percent, Canada 11 per cent Australia 8 per cent and Egypt six percent. Saudi Arabia has the highest percent of students to foreign universities, compared to other countries.
21 percent of all students on the project in 30 countries are women. "A vigorous women educational programme has resulted in the number of girl students reaching 49 per cent of the entire student force in the Kingdom," she said adding that women are also actively participating in business activities as well as occupying key government positions.
Over 5,000 Saudi students on the King Abdullah Foreign Scholarship Programme are expected to graduate and return home at the end of this year. About 3,000 students are expected to graduate from American universities, 1,000 from British universities and 1,000 from Australian Universities.
In 2008, the Saudi Cultural Attach in Washington recognised the first graduates of the scholarship programme that included seven doctorates, 142 Master's and 49 Bachelor's degrees. The Saudi Cultural Mission in Washington celebrated in 2008 the graduation of the first batch of King Abdullah's Scholarship programme. Of the 245 students, 16 obtained doctorate degrees, 181 Master's degrees and 48 Bachelor's degrees.
In 2011, it is learnt that more than 4,000 Saudi students graduated from various universities and colleges in the United States under the King Abdullah Scholarship programme (KASP) and around 43,500 Saudi students are currently studying in all parts of the United States.
Princess Nora Bint Abdulrahman University for Women
The year 2007 saw the opening of Princess Nora Bint Abdulrahman University for women with its 32 colleges across the Riyadh region. This is the first women's university in Saudi Arabia and largest women-only University in the world. It has a new library capable of holding 4.5 million volumes.
The university was founded as Riyadh University for Women in 1970. King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz launched the building of the world's largest and most modern women's institution of higher education in a self-contained higher education only. A new campus dedicated May 2011 can accommodate 40,000 students and 12,000 employees. It has a 700-bed teaching hospital and research centres for nanotechnology, information technology and bioscience.
Women comprise 58% of Saudi Arabia's college students. 85% of employed Saudi women work in education, 6% in public health, and 95% in the public sector.
Princess Nora bint Abdul Rahman University is composed of fifteen colleges and several departments.
Princess Nora bint Abdul Rahman University currently has 52,308 students. 777 are studying in postgraduates and 331 are doctoral students. The majority of these students are enrolled in Masters programme, but the Ph.D. student population is growing steadily as of 2011. The student population comes from over 60 different nationalities from all continents.
First woman minister
King Abdullah also appointed a woman for the first time as a deputy minister in the Ministry of Education.
