Riyadh: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to open the United Kingdom’s top ranked King’s college in the country this year to enhance the education sector and improve ties between Britain and Saudi Arabia, local media reported.
Besides, the country is planning to close eight Turkish schools by the end of the current academic year.
It will be the first British independent school brand to open in Saudi Arabia. King’s College will also be the first school to open under the Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC) under the flagship International School Attraction Program, which was launched with the Kingdom Ministry of Education and Investment.
“As part of our city’s strategy in enhancing the education sector, our partnership with the Ministry of Education along with the Ministry of Investment reflect RCRC’s commitment to providing education and learning opportunities for Saudi and foreign students,” said RCRC President Fahd Al-Rasheed.
The RCRC said the new school would exclusively educate students from KG to Grade 12 and benefit from King’s College’s international network of faculty.
Its alumni include Nobel laureates, world leaders, policy makers, olympians, writers and musicians. Neil Crompton, the British ambassador to Saudi Arabia, said the announcement had strengthened relations between the UK and Saudi Arabia in the field of education.
“Not only does the education sector in its current state represent vast opportunities for international institutions to step in, but also Saudi Arabia’s broader economic growth in general and its momentum, and Riyadh in particular, represent a significant market and there will be rapid growth for the years to come,” he said.
For the closure of the Turkish schools, Saudi Education Ministry delivered its closure notices to the schools in Tabuk, Riyadh, Ta’if and Jeddah provinces, while officials visited the schools in Dammam and Abha to inform the authorities about the decision.
“Activities at the Turkish schools will be terminated at the end of this academic year,” said the ministry. “Transfers of students to other schools of their choice will be facilitated. The school administrators should inform parents about the decision.”