Abu Dhabi: The Saudi Ministry of Education is working on a plan to attract prestigious foreign universities to open branch campuses in the country, local media reported.
This comes within the framework of the Saudi government’s keenness to provide advanced and world class education, keeping pace with the renaissance witnessed by the Kingdom in various fields, in a way that fulfills aspirations of people and keeps pace with the employment market reforms.
King Salman Bin Abdulaziz approved the formation of University Affairs Council in February last year following the issuance of the new University Law by the Cabinet in November 2019.
The most important tasks of the University Affairs Council include approval of strategies for university education, approving and supervising regulations for universities, private colleges, and branch campuses of foreign universities, approving financial, administrative, and academic regulations for universities.
The tasks also include approval of the university’s self-investment and revenue regulations; approving the regulations governing the acceptance of donations, gifts, bequests, and the mechanism for spending thereof; approval of the regulations governing the management of endowments in universities in coordination with the General Authority of Awqaf.
Additional tasks of the Council include approving the regulations governing science societies, research chairs, and research, innovation and entrepreneurship centers in universities; approval of the regulations for establishing science museums in universities in coordination with the relevant authorities; approval of the regulations governing student funds in universities; governance and evaluation of universities’ academic, administrative and financial performance.
