India, Saudi to cooperate in education sector

Dubai, May 31 (UNI) India has agreed to increase the number of scholarships for Saudi students from 100 to 500 a year and provide expertise in setting up information and communications technology centers of excellence in existing Saudi universities and those proposed within the framework of the Kingdom's Eighth Five-Year Plan.

This was decided in a meeting between Union Human Resource Minister Arjun Singh and his Saudi Arabian counterpart Khaled Al-Anqari.

After the meeting, Mr Al-Anqari said the government had decided to increase the number of scholarships for Saudi students to study in India from 100 to 500 a year.

''Saudi students would be sent to India for higher education in medicine, engineering, basic sciences and information technology,'' a news report quoting Mr Al-Anqari said today.

Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud has also expressed interest in India setting up a Centre of Excellence like the IITs in saudi Arabia to promote scientific research and higher studies with India's cooperation, a subject that would come up for discussion at the official-level bilateral talks later today.

Mr Singh renewed India's offer of seats to Saudi students in post-graduate and doctoral programmes at Indian technical institutions.

Mr Singh suggested the officials here to avail the services of Educational Consultants India Ltd (EDCIL) for placement of Saudi students in higher educational institutions in india.

''Both sides made efforts to carry forward the recommendations of the Delhi Declaration signed by King Abdullah and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during the King's visit to India earlier this year,'' Mr Singh added.

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