A recently issued royal order has extended the services of Dr. Marei bin Hussein Al-Qahtani as president of Jazan University for four more years. Al-Qahtani was first appointed to the position in June 2016.

Al-Qahtani received his BA degree in geography from King Saud University (KSU) in 1986. Five years later, he received an MA degree in biogeography from the same university.

He worked as a lecturer at KSU’s geography department for some three years. He then transferred to the University of Hull in the UK to pursue his doctorate, which  he completed in physical geography and environmental sciences in 1998.

Following his stay in the UK, Al-Qahtani returned to KSU as an assistant professor in the geography department. He was also an assistant professor in the social sciences department at King Khalid University in Abha between 1999 and 2003. He was an associate professor in the same department from 2003 to 2009.

Al-Qahtani occupied several other positions at King Khalid University, including dean of admissions and registration. He served as vice president before becoming acting president of the university from 2011 to 2016, when the royal decree appointed him as president of Jazan University.

Jazan University, where 54,999 students are enrolled, has seen 40 male and female students defend their master’s theses since study was suspended due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. 

Al-Qahtani stated that the university is keen to implement all academic plans and programs to enable its students to obtain their academic qualifications without delay.