The government has been forced to tighten the rules of the $6 billion King Abdullah Scholarship Fund, limiting it to those attending one of the top 100 universities globally, or studying a program rated in the top 50 in its field.
The fund has been mired in corruption since the day it was launched and many alleged it to be a paid holiday fund rather than an educational fund...with students drawing hundreds and thousands of dollars to study rubbish...at shoddy universities..many low grade universities just accepted mass enrollment of Saudis to benefit from the scholarship funds...
@AUz @Sky lord
This Iranian guy is just trolling as his country is exporting refugees. Iranians come to Dubai and Kuwait looking for jobs and better life away from the poor management of their regime. Generally, we have no shortage of Saudi doctors or engineers (by the standards of a developing country like ours). The economy is just bigger than the population just like in many GCC countries. Hence, we have over 8 million expats. Studying abroad or in-country is both free and open to a great percentage of high school graduates. Studying abroad maximizes the global exposure in the eye of the student. That seems to be the ultimate goal behind it.
You cannot ignore the role of shoddy hiring on purpose by business owners too...because they can get away with expats doing a lot of abuse...and dont forget the cash cow..selling visas...since govt started the crack down..many of these shoddy business are going bust..
Kind Salman is on course, industrial production is already booming for 2016 supported by more transparent regulating + drop in commodity prices.
http://www.arabnews.com/featured/news/864846
RIYADH: The vision of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman for the nation has seen considerable changes to domestic and foreign policy during his first year in power, including economic restructuring to deal with falling oil prices and efforts to tackle terrorism and bring peace to the volatile Middle East.
These were the sentiments expressed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Grand Mufti Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh on Wednesday, according to SPA.
The crown prince said that King Salman’s statesmanship has seen the Kingdom become a destination for global political and business leaders. This has been because his approach continues to follow the precepts of the Qur’an, he said.
The king has focused on fighting extremism and terrorism to ensure the safety of the Kingdom’s citizens and those in neighboring countries. This includes efforts to counter the attempts by some countries to destabilize the region for their own ends, he said.
The crown prince said that on the domestic front, the king has taken decisive action, which includes restructuring state agencies, particularly those of the Council of Ministers.
He has removed many non-performing councils and bodies, and formed the Council of Political and Security Affairs and the Council of Economic Affairs and Development, which would oversee all changes and projects.
In addition, he launched Operation Decisive Storm to help the Yemeni people regain their land from Houthi rebels, and formed the Islamic Military Council, with its headquarters in Riyadh, to unite nations across the world against terrorist groups.
There has also been major revision of economic priorities, with several measures to account for the drop in oil prices. These changes were reflected in the country’s 2016 budget, which still focuses on supporting the needs of the nation’s citizens, he said.
The Council of Economic Affairs and Development has taken several measures to carry out the vision of the king, including looking at ways to diversify sources of income and reducing the country’s dependence on oil, said the crown prince.
Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said: “We can describe this year as the one of decisiveness and achievements. “At the national level, the royal orders contributed to the restructuring of the state’s agencies, particularly those of the Council of Ministers and the consequent cancelation of many councils and bodies, and the formation of the Council of Political and Security Affairs and the Council of Economic Affairs and Development.
“The Kingdom has become, during the past year, a destination for many of the leaders of the world, confirming its weight and excellent location on the world map.”
The deputy crown prince said King Salman’s response to the legitimate government of Yemen with the participation of many Arab and Islamic countries to regain its authority on Yemeni territory and fight against militias, has contributed to the return of the legitimate government to Yemen.
“The king’s call for the fight against terrorism and countering it by the formation of the Islamic Military Alliance under the command of Saudi Arabia and the establishment of a center for joint operations in Riyadh to coordinate and support military operations in the fight against terrorism and develop necessary programs mechanisms to support those efforts was welcomed by many of the sisterly and friendly countries,” he said.
With regard to the economic and development aspects, the deputy crown prince said: “The government continued, due to the king’s directives, in setting the economic priorities as well as the necessary initiatives and programs to support various development projects, taking into account the effects of lower oil prices on the state’s general budget and addressing them, in a way not affecting the needs of the country and its citizens.”
The grand mufti said King Salman has shown himself to be a decisive leader with a vision at a time when there is volatility across the Middle East; including having to deal with some countries that have a “greedy agenda” and want to take over the Kingdom.
He said that these nations not only endanger the Kingdom but all Muslims because Saudi Arabia is the home to Islam’s holiest sites. “Muslim pilgrims come here from all over the world because it is one of the holiest places in Islam. Maintaining the safety of our country is a religious duty.”
He also praised King Salman for his “wise decision” to launch Operation Decisive Storm to help the Yemeni people against the Houthis’ aggression. In addition, he welcomed the formation of the Islamic Military Alliance to fight terrorism.
“One of the important domestic accomplishments of King Salman has been the restructuring of the country institutions and councils.” He also commended the king for various measures to improve education and other aspects of the country.
The grand mufti described the king as a decisive man who has made great accomplishments. “He has a strong will-power and wisdom to make the right decisions at the right time,” he said.
He described the decision to launch Operation Decisive Storm as a wise one, “because it aims to restore legitimacy in Yemen and stop the Houthi aggression against its people.”
The grand mufti said the operation succeeded in its aims.
“King Salman’s reign is full of promising successes and accomplishments, and we pray for the long life of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman,” Al-Asheikh said.
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