Uganda and Saudi Arabia to increase Co-Operation in Education Sector

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has expressed desire to increase the level of cooperation with Uganda’s education sector.

A delegation from Saudi Arabia that comprised officials from the Foreign Affairs and Education Ministries on Tuesday met the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports Mrs. Janet Museveni and discussed opportunities for cooperation between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Education Ministry and Uganda’s Education sector.

Mrs. Janet Museveni thanked the Saudi Arabia Government for working with Uganda’s education sector over the years and for funding projects to enable expanded access to quality technical and vocational education and training. “We welcome you because we want our cooperation to grow and continue”, she said.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, through the Saudi Development Fund, has financed the establishment of five new Technical Institutes in the Districts of Adjumani, Bukedea, Kiboga, Kyenjojo and Lyantonde.

Mrs. Janet Museveni pointed out the challenge of poor-quality instructors in the Uganda’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutes and called for a project targeting capacity building for quality improvement of both in-service and pre- service instructors in all fields. Other areas of potential cooperation, she said, could be in teacher education for quality improvement plus infrastructure and staff development for some new universities.

The Saudi Arabia officials led by H.E Ambassador Hatem Abdulaziz O. Edrees highlighted the desired areas of cooperation that will soon be signed in a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministries of Education of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Uganda.

These areas of cooperation include among others, scientific and educational relations between education institutions, exchange of expertise between education institutions, universities and scientific research centers, encouraging organization of scientific/cultural weeks and days and scientific clubs in education institutions in both countries.  They said the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is working to increase the number of scholarships offered to Ugandan students to study in Saudi Universities in all disciplines apart from health sciences, and also wants to establish an institute to teach Arabic and Islamic law in Uganda.

The Permanent Secretary thanked the Saudi Arabia Government for the good working relationship they have had with Uganda’s Education sector especially in the area of technical and vocational training.

He said the Memorandum of Understanding which mainly covers the areas of higher education will be aligned to the Ministry of Education and Sports policies and will be ready for signing within one month.

The meeting was also attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Education and Sports.