Riyadh, May 30: Giving a boost to their academic
ties, India today agreed to help Saudi Arabia in setting up
centres of excellence in its universities to promote
scientific research and higher studies.
Visiting Human Resources Development Minister Arjun
Singh, who held talks with Saudi Minister of Higher Education
Khaled al-Angari, said he had a "very fruitful discussion with
the saudi minister to carry forward the recommendations of the
Delhi declaration signed on January 26 by King Abdullah and
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh."
The centres of excellence would be established at the
university-level in Saudi Arabia to promote scientific
research and higher studies with India's cooperation, Singh
told reporters after the meeting.
An academic exchange programme would also get under way,
he said, adding that a memorandum of understanding (MOU) is
being discussed in this regard.
Al-Angari said Saudi students would purse higher studies
in the fields of medicine, engineering, basic sciences and
information technology. There will also be an academic
exchange programme involving professors from both countries as
well as Saudi students at the graduate and undergraduate
levels.
During the meeting also attended by India's ambassador to
Saudi Arabia M O H Farook, manager of computer science and IT
department at King Saud University Ihab Razin and other senior
officials, the Saudi side said that India's expertise would
be sought in setting up centres of excellence in both the
existing Saudi universities and those proposed to be
established within the framework of its eighth five-year plan.
The centres would be staffed by highly qualified
researchers and academics from various Saudi universities.
They would also have regular consultation and contacts with
similar centres around the world.
Saudi Arabia also decided to increase the scholarships
for its students from the existing level of 100 to 500
annually with the prospects of further increasing this number
in the long term.
Later, the Indian delegation visited King Saud University
for a briefing on the facilities available on the campus and
for identifying the scope for future cooperation.
Singh is also scheduled to meet King Abdullah when he
would hand over a special message from the Prime Minister.
Embassy officials pointed out that there is a huge
potential for expanding Indo-Saudi relations in the field of
higher education, medical sciences and information, where
India's strength has been acknowledged internationally.
The Saudi government is also encouraging the private
sector to invest in higher education projects. A cabinet
meeting chaired by King Abdullah called for intensifying
efforts to promote scientific and social research as well as
strengthening the capabilities of research centres in Saudi
universities. To this end, cooperation pacts would be signed
with reputed research centres across the world.
Indian expertise could also be sought in the field of
healthcare as 20 new diabetic centres would be established in
different parts of the kingdom shortly as part of the
government's effort to provide advanced health care to the
country's growing number of diabetic patients. "We are now in
the process of inviting tenders to implement these health
projects," health ministry spokesman Khaled al-Mirghalani said
here recently.
Bureau Report
First Published: Tuesday, May 30, 2006, 00:00