A New Perspective on the Quest for Education: The Saudi Arabian Way to Knowledge Society

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, thanks to the foresight and generosity of the Al Saud ruling family, has always devoted great efforts to the development of education. Investments in higher education, in particular, have increased exponentially in recent years. The purpose of this paper is to introduce some facts and figures about the new developments of the Saudi higher education system and to explain how past, present and future policies on education in Saudi Arabia embody the idea of education as a matter of public concern and interest. The paper suggests that a Saudi Arabian knowledge society is in the making, at its own pace, and the country is preparing to play a very important role in the international competition for excellence in education