KASP begins selection process

The selection procedure for the King Abdullah Scholarship Program (KASP), which provides the means to enroll in the best world universities to pursue higher studies, began in Riyadh on Thursday.
The Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) has invited the male and female applicants for selection process.
The procedure will continue in Riyadh until Nov. 19, whereas the selection process in Alkhobar will begin on Nov. 23, said the ministry, adding that the process was completed in Jeddah between Nov. 6 and Nov. 11.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has approved the extension of the scholarship program.
“A royal approval was issued by King Abdullah to extend King Abdullah Foreign Scholarship Program for a third phase that lasts five years, starting after end of the current phase by end of fiscal year 2014,” said the statement from the ministry.
According to a statistics, there are nearly 100,000 Saudi students studying at premier Institutions across the world under KASP, which was launched in 2005.
Esra Hamal and Ali Maskeen, two students who benefited from the scholarship, applauded the program.
King Abdullah issued a royal decree on May 25, 2005, launching the program for a period of five years. The program began by sending a group of students to study in the US.
Its scope was then broadened to include a number of advanced countries in diverse fields of specialization to meet the needs of the labor market in the Kingdom.
Academic disciplines and scholarships are selected on the needs of government ministries, national corporations and the private sector.
Among the basic conditions for the selection include that an applicant should be a Saudi national, the age must be in accordance with the stated condition in every study degree, the candidate cannot be a government employee or hold an accredited certificate from a non-Saudi institution and female applicant must be accompanied by a mahram (a legal guardian).
The Saudi government invests SR9 billion in the program each year.
Currently the Kingdom is going through a social and economic change to streamline its market under Nitaqat program and these graduates with education and cultural exposure are expected to come back with their experiences, dreams and aspirations to bring positive change in the country.