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administrative and academic positions. This aspect weakens the selection and
compensation of achievers and distinguished professors. In a report by Abouammoh
et al. ( 2015 ), it has been noted that almost all Saudi public universities are almost
comprehensive, i.e. they offer many academic programs in different disciplines, and
there is no clear mission differentiations between universities in disciplines, level of
education and in academic or technical programs.
There is no recognised credit transfer system for students and very little coordi-
nation among various disciplines, in order to build common learning or professional
skills. Sometimes, universities have more than one college teaching the same disci-
pline, such as science, engineering or medical allied sciences at a short distance
from each other. In fact, the National Qualification Framework for Higher Education
in Saudi Arabia, published by the NCAAA (2009), mainly formulated the common
practices implemented in most Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) universities, or
rather in most Arab university frameworks. This drawback has limited national edu-
cational mobility. Integration among Saudi universities is minimal, in spite of the
centralised high management. One would expect that integration among universities
is the only policy motivated and might be supported by an appropriate mobility
programme, similar to the Erasmus programme in the European Union.
Before the abolition of the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) in early 2015,
there had been a few interesting programmes that had helped improve the Saudi HE
system (HEDI 2011 ). There have been many collaboration agreements, memoranda
of understanding (MoU) and partnership policies, but most MoU are signed for the
benefit of public relations and have never been implemented. Old Saudi universities,
namely, King Saud University, King Abdulaziz University and King Fahd University
of Petroleum and Minerals, have made various arrangements to attract distinguished
scholars and academic professors, through various programmes such as centres of
excellence, funded by the MoHE, research chairs and the private sector. King Fahd
University of Petroleum and Minerals established an international advisory board in
2007, comprised of very distinguished scholars in higher education and the CEOs
of the two biggest oil companies in the world, namely, ARAMCO and SABIC. The
present advisory board consists of 13 international figures and is chaired by Martin
Jischke, President Emeritus of Purdue University in Indiana in the United States
(KFUPM 2015 ). Other regional universities, such as the University of Tabuk,
formed national advisory boards, consisting of eight Saudi experts, professors of
higher education and legislators. This has stemmed from a national call for decision
sharing on university management and the need for external and international
experts’ participation in university management and planning.
Financing of higher education almost totally comes from public funds, through
the state’s annual budgets. In 2011, King Saud University, King Fahd University
and King Abdulaziz University started their own endowments. The establishment of
endowments in Saudi universities is recent and varies from one institution to another,
as are the rules for investment and governance of these endowments. The main com-
mon objectives of the endowments are to support the university’s financial capabil-
ity and sustain the funding of university activities. Most of the endowment revenue
is expected to be directed to research and educational development and to support
A.M. Abouammoh