JEDDAH — Cultural, academic, scientific and technical cooperation between France and Saudi Arabia covers three areas: training young Saudis, support for reforms desired by King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and the development of knowledge about French language and culture. Training of Saudis The number of Saudi scholarship students in France in 2012 reached 1,200, including many doctors in specialty training. The objective of the Saudi Ministry of Higher Education is to reach 4,000 scholarship students in France in 2015. The holding of an annual Higher Education Fair in Riyadh this year with the presence of 19 French institutions of higher education will have a real effect on Saudi students.
Support for policy reform A judicial reform is under way in Saudi Arabia currently. A visit to France by the Minister of Justice Muhammad Al-Eissa is expected to take place sometime in fall 2012. It will be an opportunity to sign an agreement that provides the support of French institutions in the training of judicial staff. Cooperation established in 2010 with Princess Adelah bent Abdullah, the King's daughter, who is very active in the field of women empowerment, continues through the implementation of field projects in three areas: health, law and municipalities. The agreement signed between the Institute of Public Administration and ENA in December 2010 has already delivered a first seminar for Saudi officials in 2012.
Strengthening French influencea) Secondary schools Besides international schools, only a few private schools in the Kingdom now teach French, but the number of Saudi students is constantly increasing. Some of these schools want to turn to the French system and create French sections. Moreover, with several institutions we have developed DELF Junior examination which is a great success. French language teaching is well represented in Saudi Arabia with four institutions supported by the Agency for French Teaching Abroad and the French Lay Mission, comprising about 3,000 students. In total, with the departments of French universities and the French Alliance of Saudi Arabia, there are almost 10000 Saudi and foreign learners of French in the Kingdom in 2012.
b) Higher Education France's goal is to continue to implement on the ground 60 interuniversity agreements signed since 2008. There are now four university departments of French in Riyadh and Jeddah. Universities in the East and the West also want to develop French teaching. Support for these departments takes such forms as language scholarship. There is also a plan to develop French professionalizing courses.In other disciplines, inter-university relations are also growing: l Three faculties of King Saud University (KSU), Riyadh, were evaluated and accredited by the Agency for the Evaluation of Research and Higher Education. l A recent mission has opened up prospects for cooperation in architecture and urbanism with the KSU and King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah. l Professional training for women is being implemented to Princess Nora University. l A project management was initiated with the Euromed KSU. l The University of Hail has renewed an agreement with the medicine of Rouen.In scientific research, AERES submitted a draft assessment to King City for Science and Abdulaziz Technology (KACST). Moves are under way to build relationships with CNRS, IRD and other French research organizations and the KACST and KAUST (King Abdullah University for Science and Technology).
c) Cultural Outreach The French Embassy, ??which is very active in cultural activities (concerts, exhibitions, lectures, films), continues to offer a rich and varied program for 2012. In 2012 and 2013, the embassy hopes to set up an exhibition of perfume bottles in cooperation with the museum of Grasse, and a major exhibition of contemporary Arab art with the Arab World Institute, whose director general is Saudi. Finally, the influence of French culture also has an archaeological presence with four missions in the Kingdom, including that of Madain Saleh (the first site opened to the public), and projects in the preservation and enhancement of heritage, especially ancient cities of Jeddah and Riyadh. — SG
