By Abdullah Al-Ghamdi
Okaz/Saudi Gazette
RIYADH — Education Minister Ahmed Al-Issa will announce the details of the 12th stage of the Scholarship Program of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques on Thursday.
The program, under the title Your Scholarship is Your Job", enables thousands of Saudi male and female students to study in renowned universities around the world.
The minister will address the issue during a press conference on the sidelines of the 7th international conference on higher education that began in Riyadh on Wednesday.
According to the ministry's sources, about 10,500 seats are available for Saudi students in 28 public and private universities in this phase.
The sources said the minister would announce the schedule of personal interviews for candidates with the concerned departments and the time for preparation for scholarships, which is likely to be announced in May.
The ministry will start issuing decisions regarding the scholarships in June or July under which the students will be sent abroad.
The sources also expected the minister to talk about the measures taken so far to solve problems faced by the students, especially those studying in Britain, due to fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.
Some 126,000 Saudi men and women study abroad under the program accompanied by about 70,000 people as companions or spouses.
In a related development, the ministry's spokesman Mubarak Al-Osaimi has denied reports that the ministry might reopen scholarship opportunities in Arab universities.
"The ministry is looking for excellent education in renowned international universities for Saudi students," he said.
Meanwhile, Al-Issa said Saudi universities would be helped to find their own income sources to increase their budgets for academic, administrative and other activities.
The minister was talking at a workshop in Riyadh on Tuesday on "promoting the partnership among universities to contribute to their financial sustainability".
Al-Issa said the investment arm of universities should have the expertise, vision and knowledge of investment areas that are needed by society and the education in general.
The minister, who is also the chairman of the University Education Fund, said the fund was making various investments that would yield reasonable financial returns.
