Education Minister Ahmad Al-Isa

The education minister is seeking to increase the number of universities or expand technical intermediate colleges to solve the problem of overcrowding of students at the Kingdom’s 28 universities.

Minister Ahmad Al-Isa said universities are accommodating too many students. He was speaking on the sidelines of the 7th International Conference and Exhibition for Higher Education in Riyadh, on Wednesday. The conference also discussed the gap between the volume of graduates and the labor market with the participation of 387 local and foreign universities and institutions.

He also said the ministry has drawn a new strategy regarding the identification of the most needed majors in the market up to 2030.

The strategy aims to create different revenue sources for universities to finance their programs and activities depending on investments. It also entails universities cooperating with the private sector in terms of scientific research.

The minister, who is also chairman of the University Education Fund, said this week that universities will have investment arms which will identify fields of investment needed by the community in general and education in particular.

He said there are many ideas through which universities can have their own funding and not depend on the government to provide them with the sums sufficient to implement infrastructure projects and pay the salaries of their employees.