Five universities in Saudi Arabia have been added to the QS World University Rankings 2022, bringing the number of the kingdom’s higher education establishments on the list to 14.
Three institutions – King Abdulaziz University, King Saud University and King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals – moved up the list.
Education reforms are part of the Ministry of Education’s efforts to improve standards as part of Vision 2030, a far-reaching economic development plan.
In 2019, there were nine universities on the list.
Saudi citizens who have first-hand experience of the country’s education system told The National they could hardly believe the rapid progress its institutions had made.
“If you look back just 10 years ago, there’s no way we could imagine such a leap in education reforms, let alone our universities ranking high globally,” said Hala Alghamdi, an educator in Jeddah.
“It is a huge win for the government and Ministry of Education, but most importantly for parents who seek to send their children to top universities abroad but now have the option at home,” she said.
“We would rather send our children to Saudi universities as they would like to thrive here eventually, and I have to say the next generation is going to witness the best time in the country thanks to our current leadership.”
King Saud University moved up 80 positions from its 2019 ranking in engineering and technology, and now sits at 185 globally.
King Abdulaziz University’s ranking in the same subject rose to 51st in the world, up from 125 in 2019, taking it into the world’s top 100 international universities in the field of engineering and technology.
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings for 2022 had already ranked King Abdulaziz University as the best higher education establishment in the Middle East.
In another big jump up the league tables, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals was ranked 87th in the list of the top 100 universities in engineering and technology, climbing 83 places from its ranking in the 2019 QS index.
“What’s amazing is that Saudi universities are offering more courses, diverse subjects with specialisation opportunities,” said Lulwah Hamdan, a Saudi doctor in Jeddah.
“My brother is doing engineering, my sister is studying coding and tech. I myself am a graduate from King Abdulaziz University. We feel proud of our country and it is further strengthens your belief in the education system – the fact that it is making progress when it is being recognised globally.”
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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More on animal trafficking
The biog
Fatima Al Darmaki is an Emirati widow with three children
She has received 46 certificates of appreciation and excellence throughout her career
She won the 'ideal mother' category at the Minister of Interior Awards for Excellence
Her favourite food is Harees, a slow-cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled wheat berries mixed with chicken
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West Ham United 2 (Antonio 73', Ogbonna 90 5')
Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 36', Moura 42', Kane 49')
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
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If you go
Flying
Despite the extreme distance, flying to Fairbanks is relatively simple, requiring just one transfer in Seattle, which can be reached directly from Dubai with Emirates for Dh6,800 return.
Touring
Gondwana Ecotours’ seven-day Polar Bear Adventure starts in Fairbanks in central Alaska before visiting Kaktovik and Utqiarvik on the North Slope. Polar bear viewing is highly likely in Kaktovik, with up to five two-hour boat tours included. Prices start from Dh11,500 per person, with all local flights, meals and accommodation included; gondwanaecotours.com
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Volvo ES90 Specs
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The five pillars of Islam
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Like a Fading Shadow
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)
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