Saudi students in US recall King Abdullah’s push for education

RIYADH: A group of Saudi students in the United States plan to organize a ceremony in memory of the late Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.

The program is entitled “We Will Not Forget You” and aims to present and call to mind King Abdullah’s various achievements in the education sector.
The students who are planning the ceremony are studying at various American universities under the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Scholarship Program.
The program was established in 2005 in response to concerns for the sustainable development of Saudi Arabia’s human resources.
The program has been extended three times since 2005, most recently in 2012 when it was announced that it would continue until 2020.
Mufarrih Al-Yami, general supervisor of the program, said, “The ceremony will be a way of showing the positive effects of the scholarships on a scientific renaissance in the Kingdom.”
It will also be the means by which the Saudi students illustrate the tolerant approach upon which the Kingdom’s policy is based under the present Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman.
Hussein Al-Ghawi, information officer, said, “This is a very important occasion for us and students and faculty members will be invited to talk and share their experiences as far as Saudi students are concerned.”
The scholarship program began with an agreement between former King Abdullah and former American President George W. Bush who both wanted to increase the number of Saudi students in the United States.
The Saudi government initially spent SR7 billion and sent a group of 9,252 male and female students to study in American universities. The pilot program proved to be a great success.
Within a few years, the scope of the scholarship program was broadened to include a great number of specializations and other countries in addition to the US.