Saudi Arabia to open campuses of three foreign universities under education reforms
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Saudi Arabia is preparing to host three major foreign universities as part of wider reforms to the Kingdom’s higher education sector.
Education Minister Yousef Al Benyan said two of the universities will operate directly in Saudi Arabia, while a third will open a campus in partnership with a local university.
He announced the plans during his annual press conference, where he outlined education reforms being introduced this academic year under Vision 2030.
The minister said 70 per cent of Saudi scholarship students in higher education are enrolled in the world’s top 50 universities.
New university specialisations
Saudi Arabia is also assigning strategic specialisations to several domestic universities to align higher education with labour market needs.
King Faisal University will focus on food security and sustainability.
The University of Jeddah will focus on transport and supply chain management.
Umm Al Qura University will specialise in Hajj and Umrah services and crowd management.
Al Imam University will focus on sciences and the Arabic language.
AI and curriculum changes
The ministry has fully revised 22 subjects and added 50 new artificial intelligence-based learning modules to the curriculum.
More than 495,000 pupils took part in talent development competitions, with over 45,000 high-performing students admitted to specialised schools.
The minister said schools have also been provided with facilities for students with special needs.
To support talent identification, 4,000 teachers received specialised training.
A full evaluation of every school in the Kingdom has also been completed over the past three years.
The ministry is developing an AI assistant with SDAIA and Humain to reduce administrative work and help ease clerical duties.
Teacher training and school operations
Under new operating guidelines, teachers will teach only within their specialised fields.
Working hours will also be structured around school timetables.
The ministry has introduced a training program to support teacher development.
Mr Al Benyan said Saudi Arabia’s education sector won more than 400 international and regional awards last year.
The ministry aims to raise early childhood education enrolment to 90 per cent by 2030.
Private education and textbooks
The private education sector has added 160,000 seats, supported by the allocation of 200 buildings and properties for investment.
Before the summer break, 36 million printed textbooks were distributed to schools.
More than 500 digital textbooks were also made available through the Madrasati platform.
The minister concluded the press conference by launching a unified Education Portal for students, parents and educators.