RIYADH: Saudi Arabia will occupy a top position on par with industrialized nations in terms of research and higher education within a few years from now, according to the Ministry of Higher Education.
"If Saudization is to succeed, then the only way forward to benefit from the ambitious development programs is through education geared to national needs," said a report released by the ministry.
"An initiative promoted by the Ministry of Education envisages the Kingdom being at the forefront of science, technology and innovation in Asia and by the end of the fourth plan period, it will be transformed into a knowledge-based economy joining the league of the industrialized countries," said the annual report, which gives an overview of higher education in the Kingdom.
The report also gives a range of statistical and factual information about the growth of higher education in the Kingdom.
The report said the Kingdom should be, as far as the plan is concerned, an advanced and industrialized country with R&D funding at that stage constituting a minimum 2 percent of its GDP (gross domestic product) by 2025. The growth of higher education in the Kingdom is following a dual track approach by adding value to the numbers and this is in line with the goal set by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, who recently announced to establish seven new colleges, including two medical colleges, in different provinces.
The report said projects would be set up in Tabuk and Hail (college of business administration in each), Baha (college of computer science and information technology), Hafr Al-Baten (college of business administration) and Asyah in Qassim (college of arts and science). The medical colleges in Shaqra and Dawadmi will have departments for basic medical sciences, ophthalmic surgery, maternity and children, dermatology and bone surgery, while another for medical education will be set up at Umm Al-Qura University as well as at Taif University.
Referring to the online teaching and learning programs, the report said that they will also become major delivery tools for providing quality education to students. To this end, the KSU has already set up a long-distance learning center enabling students to interact with tutors through video chat and other platforms. At another level, efforts are under way to align the educational system with the cultural traditions of the Kingdom.
On the engineering side, there is a growing partnership between industry and the academia to mobilize their resources for upgrading professional standards, said the report.
Explaining the scope and depth of this partnership, a university official told Arab News: "We need to continue to increase the engineering capability that exists within the home market of Saudi Arabia." BAE Systems Saudi Arabia, he pointed out, was currently in partnership with Prince Sultan Advanced Technological Research Institute, the Royal Saudi Air Force and with local industry representatives to identify areas for the initial R&D projects to focus on.
© Arab News 2012
