An inaugural World Student Scholarship Education Programme was held in the Gulf by the international education corporation ICEF, bringing together 100 scholarship providers and educational institutions from 20 different nations.
175 representatives of scholarship organizations from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar attended the maiden event.
Markus Badde, CEO of ICEF, said in a statement: “After months in the making, we couldn’t be prouder of the role the ICEF World Student Scholarship Education Programme has played in bringing together international education and scholarship professionals, all with the shared goal of supporting the best possible outcomes for students from the Middle East.”
Her Royal Highness Princess Najoud bint Hathloul bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, a VIP from Saudi Arabia, attended the event as well. The incident was covered by the national news.
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#نشرة_الظهيرة | تقرير: انطلاق أعمال ملتقى "الابتكار والتعليم" بمناقشة أهم المستجدات في القطاع التعليمي. #قناة_السعودية pic.twitter.com/a4lZfHh4SM
— أخبار قناة السعودية (@saudiatv_news) February 17, 2023
Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates’ Ministries of Education and Higher Education were among the 100 GCC scholarship providers who attended the event.
Many different universities, including the University of Bahrain, the University of Qatar, the University of King Saud, the University of Sultan Qaboos, and the University of Jeddah, were also present.
More than 2,000 meetings were held over the course of two days, according to ICEF, and they will “go a long way in realizing the GCC’s long-term aim of investing in students.”
Gil Latz, the Ohio State University’s vice provost for global strategies and international affairs, claimed that there was an “obvious relationship” between Vision 2030 and the institution’s approach to global strategic thinking.
At least five Saudi universities must rank among the top 200 colleges worldwide, according to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. Together with that, it wants to “redouble efforts to guarantee that the outputs of our education system are in accordance with market needs.”
As the nation aims to concentrate on innovation in cutting-edge technology and entrepreneurship, the vision also declares that “scholarship possibilities will be steered towards top foreign colleges and be granted in the disciplines that support our national interests.”
“We look forward to welcoming government and foundation-sponsored students to our campus where talented students will learn, research, and engage on an array of topics to deepen understanding between the US and the Arab world,” Latz added.
Michael Armour from the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge added that of five meetings in one afternoon at the event, he would be sending students to four “without a doubt”.
“All in all, I’ve found 80-100 student placements in the last 24 hours,” he said.
