The Shoura (Consultative) Council Sunday approved amendments to the anti-smoking draft law. The Council unanimously approved the law's amendments and articles, and took all necessary measures to curtail smoking among people of all age groups. During its fifth session, which was presided over by Sheikh Dr. Abdullah Bin Muhammad Ibrahim Aal Al-Sheikh, the Shoura Council discussed the Ministry of Higher Education's annual report for the fiscal year 2009-10 and commended King Abdullah for his unlimited support for the education sector in general and the higher education sector in particular. This support was manifested in a Royal Decree issued Feb. 23 that said all students studying abroad at their own expenses should be added to the scholarship program if they meet its requirements, the Council noted. The Shoura Council called for restructuring academic plans and curricula, and adopting regulations and laws that are compatible with vast developments in the higher education field in the last five years. It also called for increasing the number of postgraduate students admitted into highly demanded specializations that are in line with development plans and the local market's needs. Council members also called for paying more attention to scientific research at universities.
