MADINAH: Madinah Gov. Prince Faisal bin Salman said that Saudi Arabia has throughout the past decades given the utmost care to education and provided all means for this purpose.

He noted that the continuous efforts of the government in this regard show the great interest of the leadership, especially King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in education, which is expressed in building universities and schools throughout the country and attracting the best cadres to serve the citizens and support education and learning.”

Prince Faisal’s statement was part of a speech during the inauguration of the new branch of the Arab Open University (AOU) in Madinah, in the presence of Prince Turki bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz, governor of Asir region and chairman of AOU board of trustees.

Prince Faisal visited the university’s facilities, which accommodate 4,000 students of the region of Madinah and its governorates.

Dr. Mohammed Al-Zakri, president of AOU, said that “220,000 students of 120 nationalities are enrolled in AOU, noting that 60,000 students have already graduated, including 5,500 who graduated this year during a virtual ceremony, and that the university runs a special program dedicated for the students with hearing disabilities.”

In his speech, Prince Turki said: “We are proud to see this non-profit educational institution providing quality learning, not only by teaching programs that fulfill the demand in the job market and providing expensive international partnership, but also by procuring an adequate educational and learning environment. This building that we are honored to inaugurate today is well equipped with the technical capabilities that grant students the capacity to continue their educational in difficult situations such as the new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which has affected various ways of life.”