Saudi Minister of Education says gap exists between education outputs, labor market requirements

Saudi Minister of Education Hamad Al Al-Sheikh

Saudi Minister of Education Hamad Al Al-Sheikh said there is a gap between education outputs and the labor market requirements in the Kingdom, Al Arabiya TV channel reported.

He added that the ministry is working to harmonize the programs offered at the universities to go in line with the labor market demands.

Education in the Kingdom is not that negative as viewed by some people, but rather progresses and is set to witness great developments soon, the minister said.

He indicated that the change in education requires development in human cadres and institutions, as universities take time to change its programs and harmonize them with the labor market requirements.

Regarding the development of higher education, Al Al-Sheikh said the ministry will legalize the scientific, medical, and engineering programs, in which the universities will expand. In addition, it will establish applied colleges for all universities, to be linked to the labor market.

The Saudi government allocated SAR 185 billion for the education sector in 2022 budget, representing more than 19% of the total spending.