AFTER a period characterized by fog and ambiguity, the Ministry of Education announced the continuation of its scholarship program in its third stage that will now be governed by a different mechanism aimed at achieving the ministry's new policy of tying scholarships to the demands of the job market. Under this new policy, the ministry will send students abroad for higher studies and secure jobs for them to take up when they come back home after completing their studies. The graduates' specializations and subjects will be determined according to the jobs that will be waiting for them. The preferred areas of study will be announced so students can apply through the ministries and departments that will employ them. The ministry has actually signed agreements with a number of public institutions and government facilities over the past few days. The terms and conditions of the scholarships will be made public on July 27 so students can apply. As we are keen to ensure the program continues and is not cancelled, this news has made society very happy. The ministry's goals and objectives for the program seem reasonable and logical. However, there will be no harm when I discuss with the ministry some aspects of its new mechanism for scholarships. When you read the names of the ministries and government departments with which the ministry has signed agreements for scholarships, you will notice that their work is more suitable for men than women. The organizations include the military industries, aircraft maintenance companies, the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu and others. This will give the impression that there may be an implicit intention or an indirect trend to cut the number of female students. We do not want this to happen. The ministry should not to reduce the number of women who will be sent out for studies. The men and women of this country are two equal wings. The ministry should also work closely with the concerned ministries and government departments in the selection of candidates. It has more knowledge and experience in scholarships than the other ministries, which are novices in this area. The ministry should also make sure other ministries and the government departments sending students abroad will not burden them with new terms and conditions while they are studying. It should not allow them to do anything regarding the scholarship students without prior consultation. There should also be enough guarantees that the students will be employed after graduation. The nature of the future job, its salary and other benefits should be made very clear to the student before he or she is sent abroad. The employers should not change the job title under any circumstances. The ministry should closely follow up the students until they are back and well positioned in their jobs. Employment contracts should be signed by the ministries and the students before they get on the planes to their countries of study. I wish so much that the minister of education will come out and explain all the details of the program so that we will have a clearer picture about it.
