News Archive
Saudi seeks foreign help for 3,200 new schools
Released on 19/11/2009
The Saudi government has launched a 20-billion-riyal (US$5.3bn) project to build 3,200 new schools across the country for more than 1.7 million pupils.
Saudi’s school-building ambitions have been thwarted in the past because contracts were given to individual companies who, on occasion, couldn’t complete the work on time. According to the Saudi English-language newspaper Arab News, the ministry is now awarding contracts to major groups, and Saudi’s Council of Ministers has allowed the education ministry to hire foreign companies to speed up the programme.
The paper reported that education minister Prince Faisal bin Abdullah signed a 2-billion-riyal contract in July with a Chinese group to build 200 such schools.
Abdul Rahman Al-Ahmed, deputy minister of education for buildings, told the paper that the ministry had signed contracts with private companies for the maintenance of 30 school buildings.
Education is a growing priority for Saudi Arabia. King Abdullah has already approved a 9-billion-riyal programme to develop education and increase the number of universities from eight to 25.
