Skip to main content

Ireland: The education destination of Saudi Students

Saudi-students-in-Ireland
Dubai: Education in Ireland, the organisation responsible for marketing the Irish higher education sector to international audiences, has reported a dramatic increase in the number of Saudi students opting for third level education in Ireland. The figure has risen from approximately two hundred students in 2009 to 1,738 students studying and preparing to study in Ireland this year, the majority of which are under the King Abdullah Scholarship Scheme.

Mr. Sulaiman Al Hamdan, CEO of National Air Services (NAS) who has four children studying in Ireland says, ''the main reasons we chose Ireland for our children were because it is a safe place, where the people are warm and friendly and it has a top quality education system with many of the leading establishments equal to, if not better than, others in Europe. For some reason people in the MENA region looking to study abroad often overlook Ireland and they do not realise how many benefits it has. It is also very well connected by air making it easy to travel home or explore other European cities.'’

According to UNESCO, the King Abdullah Scholarship Scheme has over 400,000 students studying worldwide and the number coming to study in Ireland is expected to grow under the scholarship scheme. Ireland is in the top-ten worldwide for its higher education system, according to the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2011 and it consists of a number of world-renowned names in the university sector, institutes of technology and private independent colleges.


Ms. Wijdan Mubarak Al-Omaim, who is studying mammography at UCD, believes coming to Ireland to study has allowed her to fulfil her dreams and achieve the career she always wanted. Wijdan is proud to be the first female, Saudi student to have achieved the MSc degree in mammography and currently she is researching her PhD in Mammography, at the Department of Radiology, UCD, where she will be the first female Saudi to have achieved this level of higher education in the field. She looks forward to making her contribution in her specialist area on her return to her homeland.

''Ireland has some of the leading colleges in the world and UCD is among the very best so I feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to study here. Ireland is a beautiful country and I have only had positive experiences. Everybody is very respectful and I would recommend both Dublin and Ireland to anyone looking to study abroad. My family have always given me their support and I give thanks to them and to my friends in my second home Ireland. Also it is thanks to the King Abdullah Scholarship and the quality of teaching here at UCD, that I have been able to achieve my dreams.'’

Terry Mc Parland, Manager, Education in Ireland commented on the increased popularity Ireland has witnessed from Saudi students recently: ''Ireland has a strong education ethic and it is amongst the world's best education providers. Our education establishments have been very well received by students from the MENA market and we currently have around 2,500 students from region studying in Ireland, with Saudi overtaking other MENA countries by a considerable margin. It is excellent to see the ties between our two countries strengthened in this way.'’

Notes to editor

Education in Ireland is the umbrella brand for marketing the Irish higher education sector to international audiences and an initiative of Enterprise Ireland, the Irish government organisation responsible for the development and growth of Irish enterprises in world markets. There are a number of scholarships available for international students from a wide variety of sources such as the Government of Ireland, the Irish higher education institutions and other organizations. For more information about opportunities for higher education and training in Ireland visit http://www.educationinireland.com

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why You Should Not Opt For IIT Bombay

This article is written by IITians in the blog Actors Imran and Anushka during a cultural program at IIT Bombay If asked to compare IIT Bombay to IIT Delhi, most students say that the difference is negligible. Both are in metropolitan cities with good options for hostels, PG accommodations, food and entertainment. Cultural activities are equally good as is the faculty and study methodology. Even placements at the two IITS are amongst the best in the country. Yet figures indicate that the top JEE rank holders prefer Computer Science Engineering at IIT Mumbai rather than IIT Delhi. But, we are here to tell you when and why you can avoid IIT Mumbai. Mumbai IIT was earlier placed in the suburbs, away from the crowds, giving IITians the space and peace to pursue their career goals. Today the area in Powai is surrounded by high rise building, malls and traffic snarls, bringing with it all the clatter and patter of a metropolitan hub. Just like the population and popular
2 comments
Read more

Second Pakistani University opens in UAE

Abasyn University RAS AL KHAIMAH, (UAE): One more Pakistani University has started its operations in Ras Al Khaimah with a mission to provide good quality affordable education for Pakistani families living in UAE. Name as “Abasyn University ”, the new educational platform will offer degree courses to the 800 to 1,000 pupils who comes out of Pakistani high schools in the UAE every year. Previously Szabist University in Dubai was the only Pakistani university in the emirates. Abasyn’s Ras Al Khaimah centre is its overseas branch campus. As a famed brand in Pakistan, the Abasyn University has campuses in Peshawar and Islamabad. Abasyn University is considered to be more affordable as it charges only Dh1,200 a month. This makes it more affordable than Szabist which charges Dh1,900, and Abasyn is significantly cheaper than other institutions. On average, university fees in the UAE start at about Dh25,000 a year. However, for anything science or engineering based, costs can rise
4 comments
Read more

AUS helps rebuild Iraq’s higher education

War-torn Iraq Sharjah: The World Bank and American University of Sharjah (AUS), will host tomorrow, Thursday, May 24, at Lecture Hall A, in the ground floor of the AUs main building, a training course for about 40 senior Iraqi education leaders, on strategic planning and quality assurance in higher education institutions. The nine-day training course is designed to equip Iraqi university representatives involved in strategic planning and quality assurance with the required skills to improve the quality of education offered by higher learning institutions in Iraq as the country works on rebuilding itself as a unified nation. The training is in line with AUS’s strategic goal of becoming the leader in higher education in the Middle East by being able to share its expertise with other countries in the region, especially helping its Arab neighbors such as Iraq achieve its potential. The course will touch on important subjects that include: A Framework for Strategic Pl
2 comments
Read more