WASHINGTON: Saudi students studying at their own expense in the United States can now be enrolled in the King Abdullah Program for Scholarships Abroad once they pass an English-language course. Doing so will exempt them from the condition of completing a certain number of academic hours, Muhammad Bin Abdullah Al-Isa, Saudi cultural attaché, said. The government has sent more than 32,000 Saudi students to study in the United States, including students in the Program's sixth phase, said Al-Isa, who added that its extension for another five years reflects its success. Attaché officials have established about 145 Saudi student clubs – headed by students – in US universities and they are all “showing a bright image of communication with American society and with Saudi students, and introducing services and advice to the latter,” Al-Isa said. The students are doing well as they face the challenges of studying and living abroad, he added. “There are no major problems, only minor ones which we deal with,” he said. “We always advise them to abide by the laws that differ from one state to another and thanks to Allah, our students are aware of that and have a sense of responsibility.” Al-Isa said the Saudi Cultural Attaché will move to a new, larger eight-floor building in Virginia by Feb. 21. The new building, constructed at the expense of the Ministry of Higher Education, is almost complete and will be opened in a ceremony by the middle of July. “Our rented building has become insufficient, given the larger number of scholarship students,” Al-Isa said. “The new one will make it possible to recruit more supervisors and other staff that we need.” The building contains several halls for lectures and video presentations and an information center, he added. The Saudi Attaché in the United States was established in 1951 as part of the Saudi Embassy in the United States, for the purpose of supervising Saudi students on scholarships, and to serve as a link between US educational institutions and the Kingdom in cultural, educational and scientific affairs. The Attaché, under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Higher Education, started opening US offices in the late 1970s with an office in Los Angeles, which was followed by offices in Washington, Denver, Chicago and Houston.
