JEDDAH, 24 October 2007 -- Now that the physical structure of the SR10 billion King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) has been determined, top academics and researchers are talking about the next big challenge: Attracting high-quality faculty and students. "Getting the right faculty and getting the right students will be the key to making KAUST a world-class institution," said Ahmed Ghoneim, professor of mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Talking to Arab News, Ghoneim said a great deal would depend on who leads KAUST and how that leadership can maintain the momentum to drive it forward.

Dr. John Hegarty, provost, Trinity College Dublin, agreed that the toughest challenge will be that of attracting the right people. "We had a similar problem in Ireland," he said. "We had no great difficulty attracting people who were born in Ireland and living abroad. That was easy. Attracting world-class non-Irish people? That was difficult but not insurmountable." According to Hegarty, there are a number of reasons why world-class researchers might want to come here.

"If they see that there are world-class facilities here which will enable them to achieve their dreams in terms of research, they will come," he said. "The other attraction for them would be access to high-quality students."

Hegarty said that the world was made up of very different types of people. "You will always find a number of people who would want to come here for cultural or historical reasons. People who relish the challenge of creating something will definitely come here."

Dr. Najah Ashry, dean of the women's section at King Abdul Aziz University, felt KAUST would push local universities to strive for excellence. "I think this is the right time for this kind of university. Society is ready now. The awareness level is very high. The environment is now more hospitable for scientists and researchers. And because this university is actually aiming at recruiting the best of the best, that is a challenge in itself."

Ashry said universities could not operate in isolation. "It has to have ties with other universities in the country and the region. Therefore, everyone will be forced to raise the standard of education. That in itself will be the biggest boon for education in Saudi Arabia."

Dr. Siham Alsuwaigh, a Saudi academic who is currently the dean of Bahrain's Royal University of Women, is thrilled with the KAUST concept. "The concept of going international is very important. After going to Bahrain and working at an international university, I realized the importance of connecting ourselves with the world. It is not only that we need to learn from the world regarding its scientific development but this connection will open us to the world and the world will also learn about us."

Siham said there was a need for drastic change in the way students are taught in the Kingdom. "One reason for us staying behind has been the stress on rote learning. That method may have been all right 50 years ago but it is no longer valid. If we don't learn how to be critical, we will never be able to make it in today's world. KAUST will hopefully change the whole concept of education and learning in Saudi Arabia."

Pradipta Banerji, professor of civil engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, raised a different point. "When academics move, the move is not for one or two years but for 10 to 15," he told Arab News. "So they would want to bring in their families, buy a house here, etc. Those aspects have to be looked at when you are talking about bringing in the best here. The social aspirations of the people coming will have to be taken care of if you want them here."

Banerji agreed that for KAUST to succeed, it will have to have an exceptional staff who can take it forward. "Initiating is easy, maintaining the momentum and going forward is the difficult part," he added.

Dr. Somenath Biswas, professor of computer science and engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, said Saudi Arabia could take a leaf out of India's success story. "In India, it is very clear at every stratum of society now that education is the only way of salvation for many problems, be they economic, social or political," he said.

India, Biswas said, had started from nowhere. "Our economy was highly controlled, there were all kinds of restrictions but because of collaboration, because of entrepreneurship we were able to make it. All the major IT industry firms such as Microsoft, IBM, Intel, have their research institutions located in India. That is because of the revolution in education."

By Siraj Wahab

© Arab News 2007