Number of Saudi students rises

Dubai Cultural relations between Saudi Arabia and the UAE in the field of education have seen a quantum leap in recent years with more than 1,000 Saudi students studying in UAE universities, said Dr Abdullah Al Tayer, the new Saudi Cultural Attaché in Dubai, at a press conference at the Dubai Press Club.

"Nothing illustrates the depth of cultural relations between these two fraternal nations as clearly as the cooperation in the educational sector. The number of Saudi students in the UAE has grown many times during the past few years. In 2002, there were around 90 Saudi students in the UAE, and they [have] now reached 1,100."

"Our cultural office in Dubai has been receiving the generous support and encouragement of Emirati society...," he added.

Substantial growth

Al Tayer said Saudi Arabia has experienced substantial growth in the education sector.

"In 1969, there was only one university [Riyadh University, now called King Saud University] and seven colleges, and the total number of students was 5,352. There were 1,937 students studying abroad then. In the current year, there are around one million Saudi students enrolled in the various institutions of higher education in the kingdom," he said, pointing out that the educational system had undergone immense structural changes to accommodate the needs of the Saudi and global job market.

"We have enhanced the internal capacity of our universities [and] we have achieved academic and institutional endorsement for our universities. Some of our universities now figure on the lists of the world's finest 200 or 300 universities," he said.