National and Global Challenges to Higher Education in Saudi Arabia: Current Development and Future Strategies

Abstract

Higher education in Saudi Arabia has been undergoing rapid development and improvement for the past four decades. Current policies and strategies for the future have been largely shaped by, and in response to, the challenges and opportunities generated by both global trends in higher education and growing demands for a highly qualified national workforce. Increased global openness and the unrestricted cross-border mobility of international higher education institutions are contributing to reform in Saudi higher education. The desire to move Saudi universities up the global rankings is impelling national policies to reform existing higher education institutions and establish new ones. These imperatives are all leading towards a Saudi model of the knowledge-based economy. The chapter explores Saudi national policies and future plans in higher education, and explains how these plans and policies have been progressively formulated in response to both national and international challenges.