Education

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 (US$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 (US$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." (Source: OBG)

Abu Dhabi: Higher education revamp

Higher education in Abu Dhabi, which is seen as integral to the success of the emirate's future economy, was given a boost recently when the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) unveiled plans to overhaul the sector. In essence the education council hopes to enhance the current environment for local universities and reduce the number of students dropping out. By the same token, it wants to improve the current number of school-leavers, quality and structure of courses, hiring and retention levels of teachers, and funding for research. Under the new strategy these issues will be top priorities. Other ideas include developing US-style community colleges, restructuring and improving special education, and producing a program to enhance the quality of university staff. Another aspect is improving community access to knowledge. With this in mind, there will be a number of public libraries established by 2014. The figures and details behind the library initiative have yet to be decided, but committees tasked with developing an implementation plan will be set up over the summer. Perhaps the most important reform, however, comes in the shape of large-scale investment in research and development. Under the new plan, US$1.3bn will be invested into research and development by 2018. This means government expenditure on research will exceed 0.75% of the GDP in eight years. Both federal and private universities will be invited to submit proposals to win grants for research funding. (Source: OBG)