5,000 More Scholarships for Higher Studies Abroad - KSA
As many as 5,000 young Saudis will be sent abroad for postgraduate and undergraduate studies this year under the King Abdullah Scholarship Program, according to Deputy Minister of Higher Education Abdullah Al-Mojel.
Seventy percent of the scholarships will be allocated for higher studies and the rest for the undergraduate and technical courses. The students will be given preparatory courses in their chosen fields before they go abroad.
Al-Mojel made his announcement at a reception for 80 Saudi students, including 15 girls, who left Riyadh yesterday for the Netherlands. Netherlands Ambassador Nicolaas Beets, and Mohsen Al-Hazmi, a member of the Shoura Council, were among those present.
Al-Mojel said that under the SR10-billion scholarship program, 20,000 students have already been sent abroad for higher studies. Five thousand more Saudis would be leaving this year on scholarship grants, while another 3,000 are being lined up for a range of specializations deemed relevant in the Saudi context, he said. This will take the tally to 28,000 students this year.
Al-Mojel said the third stage of the program, involving 7,500 students, will cover Canada, France, New Zealand, China, India and other countries, while new programs for higher studies in the gas sector, engineering, medicine and health sciences would be unveiled within two months.
Al-Hazimi briefed the students on life in the Netherlands. He advised them to abide by the country’s rules and regulations and project a good image of the Kingdom.
Regarding the criteria, he told Arab News that the selected students had scored 90 percent and above in the sciences.
Ambassador Beets welcomed the students and told them that they would enjoy their stay in his country where there is complete freedom. “But with freedom also comes risks. So you should make the right choice (in your actions).”
The ambassador said to the students that their first priority should be to overcome the language barrier. “You will have to learn the Dutch language in the first year in addition to English, which will be the medium of instruction in the university.”
He said while the students from Riyadh schools might not have much of a problem, those from the interior would need to adjust to local customs and traditions.
Asked whether Saudi girls would face any problem in adhering to Islamic traditions, he said they would be free to follow Islamic practices.
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Source: http://www.menafn.com/
