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Saudi Arabia: Education goes global

Improving its educational infrastructure is one of Saudi Arabia's top priorities. The government has reiterated its commitment to education with a large budgetary allocation. At the same time, further avenues for international cooperation are being developed, while established local institutions are beginning to receive international recognition.

The Saudi government allocated SR137.6bn ($36.7bn) for human resources development, which includes education and training, in its 2010 budget. This figure represents a 12.8% increase over the 2009 figure of SR121.94bn ($32.5bn) and accounts for over 25% of the annual budget.

According to Bank Saudi Fransi's 2010 budget report, the spending will be spread across all levels of education with particular attention being paid to building 1200 new schools, in addition to the 3112 schools already under construction. As part of the allocated funds, the Kingdom also plans to build four new campuses for "newly established universities".

"There is a boom happening in education in Saudi Arabia right now and it is about quality not just quantity," said Haifa Jamal Allail, the president of Effat University, a leading private institution for women. "The current drive in educational infrastructure is geared towards giving people choices for higher education. However, this does not necessarily mean university for everyone. The country is trying to open community colleges and vocational training institutions as these will play an important part in taking up the youth population bulge."

While the funds allocated in the budget will be used for improving domestic capacity and capability, the internationalisation of education in Saudi Arabia has been steadily increasing.

Earlier this year, then Australian Minister for Education (and current Prime Minister), Julia Gillard signed a memorandum of cooperation on higher education with her counterpart, Khalid bin Mohammed Al Ankary, Saudi Arabia's Minister for Higher Education.

The agreement aims to increase research cooperation and the exchange of academic staff, students and researchers between the two nations. Additionally, the two countries will enhance cooperation through international scholarships, support for student mobility and translation of their respective research. This agreement will complement the host of other cooperation agreements the Kingdom has already signed with nations such as Egypt, France, Italy and Poland.

"The top priorities for Saudi Arabia should be the establishment of more international relationships and the development of critical thinking and in-demand skills. This is our way forward," said Allail.

Local students are also beginning to get international attention for their work. One recent notable achievement of the Saudi education system is the nation's first local automobile. The "Ghazal 1", named after an indigenous desert deer, was developed over the last two years at King Saud University (KSU) in Riyadh and is specifically designed for the desert climates of the region.

The 4.8-metre long and 1.9-metre wide all-terrain vehicle was developed by a team of engineering students at KSU "in collaboration with several major companies, including Motorola, Mercedes-Benz and Magna Canada", according to KSU industrial engineering professor Said Darwish.

Project official Abderrahman Al Ahmari told local media that "contacts are ongoing with Saudi investors for the mass production of the Ghazal 1". The current plan, which would require a SR1.8bn ($480m) investment, is to produce 20,000 of the vehicles over the next three years. No details have been released about the planned retail price of the vehicle.

As Saudi Arabian students turn their learning experience into globally recognised success stories, the government will continue to push ahead with its drive to internationalise the education system while investing substantial amounts to improve domestic infrastructure.

© Oxford Business Group 2010