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Simon Marginson, professor of higher education at the University of Oxford, emphasised the importance of embedding higher education into society, stating that universities gain the greatest impact when education “matters to families and the economy”. He added that Saudi Arabia’s investment has strong potential, but that these changes represent “generational shifts” rather than short term gains. Times Higher Education concludes that Saudi Arabia is building momentum at pace. While comparisons with countries such as China highlight structural differences in scale and history, the Kingdom’s relatively young higher education system has proven agile and well resourced. As international partnerships expand and domestic research capacity deepens, Saudi universities are increasingly well positioned to play a central role in shaping the region’s academic and innovation landscape. 34 Saudi universities ranked, with most in the top 100
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progress takes time. Sam Armenta Butt, senior data scientist at Times Higher Education, described Saudi Arabia as being on an “upward trajectory” but noted that “a significant jump would need to be made” to match countries with longer established systems.
TIMES HIGHER EDUCATION
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