Some 5,000 male and female students are expected to join the King Abdullah Scholarship program for study overseas this year. ”Most of them will do their MA and PhD studies,” said Minister of Higher Education Khaled Al-Angari in Jeddah Saturday during a press conference. The remaining students will be joining Bachelor's degree courses, he said. The scholarship amount would take into consideration the rising cost of living worldwide, especially since many Saudi students abroad were resorting to doing part-time work to meet growing expenses, the minister said. ”Tuition fees are constantly being reviewed,” he said. “We have received directives from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to make everything available for our students abroad so that they can comfortably devote themselves to what they have been sent abroad for.” The government aims to provide quality education, no matter what the cost, the minister said. ‘We don't mull over any currency's exchange rate. Instead, we consider how studying in any country can be suitable for our students. Free from financial worries, we expect these students to return here with the required knowledge.” Up to 40,000 male and female students are studying abroad under the government's scholarship program, in various specialties and the doors will remain open for future graduates to benefit from the scholarship program, the minister said. “In fact there is no limit for this program so far.” He cautioned students against falling prey to private organizations that offer easy but unrecognized academic programs. Students wanting to join any university abroad should first check with the Ministry of Higher Education through its website or simply refer to the Saudi cultural attachés in the country concerned. “These channels can help students gain admission to language centers or in universities abroad,” the minister said. “We are ready to help any student find internationally recognized schools.” Angari said his ministry promptly reports to the authorities concerned any unrecognized academic institution that comes to its notice. As for students who have not found place in local universities, the minister said: ”As an international measure, universities everywhere in the world can absorb up to 50 percent of their local secondary school graduates. We don't want to produce students with university degrees who can't find jobs later on.” He noted that 86 percent of Saudi secondary school graduates can reportedly be accommodated in local universities now. ”It is unwise to admit all graduates in universities,” Angari said, noting that suitable alternatives should be found for students who do not make the grade. “For example, technical colleges can help produce well-trained students if these colleges are developed into four-year-study universities,” he said. The rate of admission in international universities is less than 50 percent of local secondary-school students, Angari said. “We, on the contrary, absorb more than that. If we continue at this rate, there will be a real problem. Students with university degrees will then have to see the day when their counterparts from vocational and technical schools are more sought after in the labor market.” During the press conference, the minister was asked about reports that some 4,000 special needs students from Saudi Arabia were being trained in Christian missions abroad. “That's not true,” he said. “These students are in specialized institutes and officials of the Ministry of Higher Education regularly visit them. What proves the inaccuracy of such information is that they number no more than 350.” The minister also referred to a mob attack on some Saudi students in New Delhi's Jamia Hamdard University last week, saying that it could have happened anywhere else and that it was no reason to stop sending Saudi students to India. The incident occurred after a Saudi student in his car knocked down a pedestrian and tried to speed off. He was stopped by a crowd of Indians and assaulted. Other Saudi students who intervened were assaulted. “It was an accidental occurrence that a student or two can face everywhere,” the minister said. “We have a large number of students all over the world. Of course, the reasons behind that accident will be addressed so as to ensure that our students avoid irresponsible behavior.” __
