King Abdullah has approved a five-year plan worth more than 80 billion riyals ($21.33 billion) to develop Saudi Arabia's education sector, state news agency SPA reported on Monday. The 80 billion riyals are in addition to what is being allocated annually to the education ministry, SPA said. King Abdullah had launched an overhaul of state schools and universities, part of a raft of reforms designed to ease the influence of religious clerics, build a modern state and diversify the eco**my away from oil to create more jobs. Saudi Arabia's 2014 state budget projects a modest 4.3 percent rise in spending compared with last year, the slowest rate in a decade, although the ministry's own budget shows continued to heavy spending on social welfare projects.
05-20-2014, 03:06 PM
Saudi Arabia approves $21 bln five-year education plan -SPA
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