Ministry boosts efforts for universities’ privatization

Education Minister Ahmad Al-Issa has announced that his ministry has identified important outcomes while studying the “new university regulations” which it submitted to the royal court for approval.

He said the new regulations will allow universities to manage their affairs in a more independent and flexible manner.
He said the ministry has new ideas to support privatization efforts, and to support private sector participation in education in general, all of which are in line with the National Transformation Program.
The ministry will put programs and initiatives in place to ensure the transformation, said the minister. This includes the establishment of small enterprises known as “independent schools.” This idea will allow some government schools to be managed by small enterprises.
This will ease and help develop a better educational environment, he explained.
The minister’s remarks came during a recent press conference. He said investment in the educational environment is not something new as private schools are rapidly spreading and increasing in many areas in the Kingdom. He said the matter of opening new branches of foreign universities is still being studied, and a specialized committee has been formed to address this issue.
“The committee will present its recommendations soon for submission to the royal court,” said the minister, noting that the the ministry “recognizes the importance of regulations that control and organize performance, and ensure that educational methods in the private sector are in line with the the general education policy in the Kingdom.”
As for investments in facilities of private schools and universities, he said: “There is encouragement from the Council of Economic and Development Affairs to benefit from government’s decision to open facilities to investments, and to study investment approaches that can be benefited from the support of the ministry in offering the best education services.”