Riyadh:
Saudi
Minister of Higher Education Khalid Al-Anqari confirmed Sunday
that 420 prestigious universities and higher education
institutions from 39 countries will be participating in the 3rd
International Exhibition and Conference on Higher Education (IECHE
2012) that begins April 17 at the Riyadh International Convention
and Exhibition Center.
"This is in addition to 55 Saudi universities and other
institutions in the Kingdom", Arab News quoted the minister as
saying.
The high profile event is being organized by the Ministry of
Higher Education under the support of Custodian of the Two Holy
Mosques King Abdullah.
According to the organizer, this year’s conference will be one of
the top events, with an expected 300,000 visitors attending. There
are also 440 exhibitors from around the world participating in the
event.
"Participants included a number of higher
education institutions tied to Saudi universities and higher
education institutions, as well as organizations concerned with
rating and accrediting academic and e-learning courses, and
distance learning and research centers", Arab News quoted
Al-Anqari as saying.
Al-Anqari was speaking at a press
conference in Riyadh before the start of the event.
He said the ministry organized this exhibition to achieve several
objectives that would provide a true picture of the renaissance
taking place in Saudi Arabia under King Abdullah and Crown Prince
Naif.
It provides opportunities to identify the leaders and officials in
the most prominent universities in the world and the progress
Saudi universities have made in comparison to those in the rest of
the world, he added.
The conference opens up new scope for partnerships between Saudi
universities and their international counterparts. Al-Anqari
explained how the ministry has attracted the cooperation of top
universities. He also said there would be other significant
benefits to the event, such as the exchange of experiences among
participants both in the scientific and practical fields of the
higher education sector and strengthening the links between them.
The exhibition at the conference provides an opportunity for
students and their parents in finding out the options available
for pursuing higher education in Saudi universities and abroad.
He pointed out the participation of an enormous number of foreign
and local universities is a rare opportunity for university
officials to meet others.
The minister expressed his gratitude to King Abdullah and Prince
Naif for their unwavering support for the higher education sector
and its institutions as well as relevant events such as the
conference.
The exhibition has been attracting many leaders in the field of
higher education including three ministers of higher education
from Morocco, Lebanon, New Zealand and 15 university directors,
who will be involved in a number of workshops.
A number of distinguished speakers from major educational
institutions all over the world will address the event and share
their countries’ experiences to raise awareness of their
respective educational systems and procedures. This will help
establish positive communications channels with educational
authorities in the Kingdom, encouraging them to upgrade their
academic and professional capabilities.
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