Private higher education in Saudi Arabia

Prof. Hussein M. AlFreihi, President of Al Yamamah University talks about the private sector universities in Saudi Arabia.

The majority of Saudi higher education is offered through public universities. How do private universities fit into the overall picture of education in Saudi Arabia? Should private universities be given a freer hand, as in the United States?

If you look at the history of higher education in the Kingdom, it has only been since 2000 that the government decided to allow public investment in education. Since then, more than 12 private universities and around 20 private colleges have been founded.

Since then, more than 12 private universities and around 20 private colleges have been founded.

The number of students in the private higher education institutions is increasing, but the fact remains that private institutions are, of course, not free while the public institutions are; to a certain extent public institutions even give incentives to their students on a monthly basis, meaning that there are naturally more students in public education.

In the long run, the private education sector should expand, and should be supported, but unless private universities prove their quality, superiority, and competitiveness, there is no place for them in this huge field of public universities. The private sector is quite competitive. Only 14 universities have been accredited by the National Commission for Academic Accreditation & Assessment, nine of which are private, and five public.

Graduates of the private schools are fluent in foreign languages, particularly English, and they are mastering technology, particularly those from Al Yamamah University. That university hosts the Microsoft Innovation Center, which equips these students with technical know-how. Furthermore, the university boasts two financial research labs to prepare the students for the banking profession and for capital markets jobs and the like. These labs are connected with Bloomberg and the Associated Press.

The private institutions provide a different kind of education. At Yamamah University, the number of students per class is limited. We believe in education via case studies and projects, and we make it compulsory that the students complete internships of four to seven months’ length.

All these programs and initiatives lead to superior results, and all of this supports the existence and the future of private schools. As with the United States, Saudi Arabia will one day boast private universities that compete with the public universities. Private higher sector education should slowly take on a larger proportion of the education load in the Kingdom.

The private institutions, however, must focus on quality. That is the only way for private education to survive in the long run, and to compete with the public education sector.