Saudi Arabia Approaching 2030: The Shift from Quantitative to Qualitative Ambitions in Education, Enhancing Human Development

Abstract

This paper has 3 goals. Firstly, to explain how since its establishment in the 1920s, the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has always strongly encouraged and supported scholarships for those citizens who wished to study abroad. Secondly, to explore how education and higher education are seen and supported in Saudi Vision 2030, the National Transformation Program (NTP) and the Saudi national budget 2017. New strategies and plans for progress in Saudi Arabia include education as a major tool for the human development of the Saudi nation. And thirdly, to address the following questions: what can the European Union learn from Saudi higher education policies? How do the Saudi Arabian Way to Knowledge Society and the Europe of Knowledge differ?