Women appointed to top jobs at Ministry of Education
01/05/2007
The Ministry of Education has appointed more than 27 women in top positions, the Arab News reported today. The appointments are part of a wider plan to reserve top jobs for women, particularly in the ministries of Education and Higher Education.
Last year, the Ministry of Education announced that it had reserved five deanships for women in order to give them more autonomy over girls’ education.
The Ministry of Labor is currently working to create more job opportunities for women in various sectors of the Saudi economy. It estimates unemployment among women at 28 percent, the Arab News reported.
The Ministry of Labor has already begun a campaign to provide jobs for 200,000 women and appointed 30 women officials at its offices in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. Ministry offices are currently accepting job applications from women.
Women are also benefiting from training programs organized by the General Organization for Technical Education and Vocational Training (GOTEVOT). Women are currently being trained as cashiers and receptionists as well as other areas, with a focus on retail sales and reception. These programs are being offered in Jeddah, Dammam, Ras, Madinah, Ahsa, Buraydah, Onaiza and Bekaryia.
These women’s training programs were organized after the Ministry of Labor’s decision to employ women in a wide variety of jobs. The programs have attracted thousands of women job seekers, with more than 10,000 trainees. Several companies and businesses have also announced plans to employ women.
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Plan aims to triple the number of Saudi women in the workforce by 2009
04/11/2007
The five-year development plan for 2005-2009 intends to provide Saudi women with more business and job opportunities, Minister of Economy and Planning Khalid Al-Gosaibi told the
Arab News in a report published today.
As a result of the plan, the percentage of women in the Saudi work force is expected to increase from 5.4 percent to 14.2 percent in 2009, Al-Gosaibi said.
The development plan emphasizes increasing the role of women in the economy by upgrading the capabilities of Saudi women and eliminating obstacles that limit their participation in economic and development activities.
There are currently more female Saudi graduates than male, and they must be given adequate opportunities and incentives, Al-Gosaibi said. Today, Saudi women are primarily employed in the education and health sectors, with the private sector dominated by men.
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Fifteen new colleges to be established in the Kingdom
04/12/2007
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz has approved the establishment of 15 new colleges, Higher Education Minister Dr. Khalid Al-Anqari told the
Arab News in a report published today.
They include medical colleges in Riyadh and Al-Kharj; an institute of tourism in Jeddah; a nanotechnology center in Jeddah; a center for Islamic studies and cultural dialogue at Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University; and four colleges at King Saud University. In addition, three new colleges for computer science and business administration will be established at the Women’s University in Riyadh.
Al-Anqari also said that the King has approved a proposal to bring colleges for teachers and girls under the jurisdiction of universities at the academic, administrative and financial level. These colleges previously operated under the umbrella of the Ministry of Higher Education.
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Saudi Arabia begins massive education overhaul
04/17/2007
Saudi Arabia has launched a major overhaul of its educational system to ensure overall student development, the
Arab News reported today.
The projects, worth an estimated $3.1 billion [SR11.8 billion], are part of the King Abdullah Project for the Development of Public Education, which was approved by the Cabinet in February.
The King Abdullah Project will emphasize improving the educational environment, developing extracurricular activities, teacher training, and curriculum development.
In related news, Minister of Higher Education Dr. Khalid Al-Anqari announced plans to establish more universities for women, to be managed by women. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz will launch the first of the new universities in Riyadh today. Last week, the King issued a royal order appointing Princess Al-Jowharah as president of the Riyadh university.
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Six Saudi satellites launched successfully into space
04/17/2007
The Kingdom has successfully launched six satellites into orbit, the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) announced. The satellites were launched from the Baikonur Base in Kazakhstan on a Russian-Ukrainian missile.
Prince Dr. Turki bin Saud Al-Saud, Vice President of KACST, said that a Saudi team at the Space Research Institute performed all the preparation and testing on the satellites. The launch had been originally scheduled for March 27, 2007 but was postponed for technical reasons.
This latest launch brings the total number of Saudi satellites in orbit to 12. Most are used for communications.
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King Abdullah launches 1,800 development projects in Riyadh
04/18/2007
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz launched 1,800 development and infrastructure projects worth more than $31 billion in Riyadh yesterday.
They include the $7.5 billion King Abdullah Financial District, which will serve as headquarters for the Capital Market Authority, the Saudi stock exchange, the commodities market, in addition to a large community of professionals in the financial sector. When completed, it will be the largest financial center in the Middle East.
Notable education projects include the Women’s University in Riyadh and 1,274 projects for general, higher and technical education such as 27 educational complexes, 47 schools, and 50 small schools.
More than $58 billion in health sectors were also launched. They include 15 new hospitals, the expansion of existing medical centers, and 162 primary health care centers.
Also launched were water, sewage, desalination and power generation projects; housing and telecommunications projects; and the establishment of the King Abdullah International Public Park.
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Travelers to Saudi Arabia required to declare cash, jewelry
05/29/2007
Travelers entering and exiting Saudi Arabia will be required to declare the amount of cash, jewelry and precious stones that they are carrying effective June 2, the Ministry of Finance said in a May 23 statement.
Passengers entering or exiting the Kingdom via air, land and sea must declare cash, precious stones or jewelry exceeding SR 60,000 [$16,000] or the equivalent in foreign currency to customs officials. Travelers who fail to abide by the regulation will face penalties.
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Kingdom to establish new war college
06/18/2007
Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz has announced plans to establish a new war college next year. The Crown Prince made the announcement in remarks at the graduation ceremony for the Command and Staff College in Riyadh yesterday.
The new college will bring the number of war colleges in the Kingdom to five.
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Saudi Arabia introduces new centralized payment system
06/27/2007
Saudi Arabia yesterday launched a new centralized payment system to that will make it easier for people to pay their bills, the
Arab News reported today.
The new system, called “Sadad,” allows citizens and residents to combine their utility and service bills onto one bill, which can be paid at any sales point or at any ATM machines by the end of this year.
The payer is not required to be a customer of a particular bank to use the new system and will not be charged a fee for using the service.
People will be able to use Sadad to pay bills from the passport department, the traffic police, banks, water department, as well as the electricity company and several airlines.
Sadad is the Kingdom’s most recent innovative payment system. The Saudi Payments Network (SPAN) was established in 1990, and the Saudi Arabian Riyal Interbank Express (SARIE) in 1997.
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Boeing wins $49.2 million contract to upgrade the Saudi AWACS fleet
09/21/2007
The Boeing Company has been awarded a $49.2 million contract to upgrade communications on Saudi Arabia’s fleet of five E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft. Boeing made the announcement in a press release yesterday.
The contract was awarded by the US Air Force Electronic Systems Center under a foreign military sales agreement.
The enhancement, called Link 16, is a secure, jam-resistant, digital data link that allows military aircraft, ships and ground units to exchange tactical pictures in near real time. It also allows the exchange of text messages, imagery data and provides additional voice channels, according to the press release.
The fleet upgrade will take place in Seattle, Washington and Riyadh. It is scheduled to be completed by December 2009.
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Saudi Arabia to establish five new airports
10/04/2007
Saudi Arabia will establish five new airports in the eastern, western, northern and southern regions of the country, the Arab News reported today.
Abdullah Al-Ruhaimy, president of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), announced plans for the new airports in remarks to reporters in Jeddah.
Saudi Arabia currently has 27 airports, including three international airports in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. A fourth international airport is scheduled to be established in Madinah within four years.
The Kingdom plans to invest $5.4 billion [SR 20 billion] in new airport projects across the country, Al-Ruhaimy said.
He added that GACA has received offers from five companies competing for a contract to operate the country’s three international airports. The companies are from Singapore, the Netherlands, Turkey, Germany and France. A contract is likely to be awarded on November 21, 2007, he noted. Work will begin early in 2008 and continue until December 2013.
GACA has already completed plans to develop the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Al-Ruhaimy said. Plans are also underway to open the fourth terminal at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.
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Saudi Arabia to invest more than $64 billion in IT
11/20/2007
Saudi Arabia will invest more than $64 billion to develop a solid information technology infrastructure, the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) said in a report issued recently.
In remarks at the 18th Arab Federation for Libraries and Information conference, chief of the organizing committee Abdullah Al-Ansary said that the investment would contribute positively to the development of the economic and industrial sectors, and that it would pave the way for an electronic government centered around integrated technology.