Minister of Education

Friday/Saturday 10 July 2026

The real challenge facing the Kingdom is no longer the expansion in the number of Saudi universities, academic programs, or modern buildings, but rather its ability to transform into globally influential universities capable of producing knowledge, leading scientific research, driving innovation, and making a tangible contribution to the national economy.

Despite the significant expansion witnessed by the higher education system over the past decades, some universities—both public and private—still face challenges related to the quality of outcomes, improving research impact, moving towards innovation, and developing the relationship between the university, the economy, and the labor market.

Universities are no longer just institutions that grant degrees; they have become strategic tools for major nations in building scientific, economic, and technological influence.

Nelson Mandela summarized this truth when he said: 'Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.'

But the education that changes the world is the education that leads research, knowledge, and innovation.

When we look at G20 countries, we find that the most advanced nations did not achieve their university excellence through mere numerical expansion, but by building independent and strong systems for higher education, scientific research, and innovation.

In the United States, universities are run with wide academic and financial autonomy, and major universities turn into centers for producing technology, giant corporations, and global innovation.

In the United Kingdom, there is a clear separation between the administration of school education and the system of higher education and scientific research, which has given British universities great flexibility in development, recruitment, and international partnerships.

As for South Korea, it made universities and scientific research a direct part of its economic and technological project, transforming within a few decades into one of the most influential countries in technology, industry, and innovation.

In China, the rise of Chinese universities globally was not a coincidence, but the result of regulatory independence, focused investments, and a direct link between universities and the national economy and future technologies.

Albert Einstein said: 'Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited.'

This is exactly what great universities do: they do not merely impart knowledge, but create scientific imagination and the ability to innovate and change.

Even countries like Australia and Canada have treated higher education as an independent strategic sector, linked to the economy, research, and innovation more than to traditional educational administration.

In Saudi Arabia, despite the great support that education receives, some universities still face accumulated challenges, most notably:

- Weak global research impact in many disciplines.

- Limited conversion of research into products, companies, and technologies.

- Weak innovation environment in some universities.

- And disparity in quality among educational institutions.

In some cases, some universities have focused on formal expansion: opening new programs and increasing the number of graduates, rather than focusing on building a university that produces knowledge and is capable of international competition.

Steve Jobs expressed the essence of true progress by saying: 'Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.'

Universities that do not lead innovation will remain just institutions that grant degrees, no matter their size or spending.

The problem is not in Saudi competencies, nor in national ambition, but in the need to focus on higher education with flexibility and more specialization as a sector that is different in nature, objectives, and challenges.

A university is radically different from general education: in the nature of administration, legislation, funding, relationship with the economy, speed of decision-making, and requirements of scientific research and innovation.

This means:

- Full focus on developing public and private universities.

- Building more effective research policies.

- Linking universities with industry and the economy.

- Supporting innovation and technological entrepreneurship.

- Attracting global talent.

- And transforming universities into real development engines.

Peter Drucker said: 'The best way to predict the future is to create it.'

Today, creating the future begins with universities, scientific research, and innovation environments.

Furthermore, the independence of higher education will give universities greater ability to:

- Develop their programs quickly.

- Build international partnerships.

- Establish advanced research centers.

- And create a real competitive environment among universities.

The world today does not measure the strength of nations only by the number of universities, but by their ability to produce knowledge, technology, and innovation.

Saudi Arabia, as an influential member of the G20, possesses all the components that qualify it to build world-class universities, but that requires a new phase of institutional development, in which higher education, scientific research, and innovation become a sector that leads the future, not an administrative file among multiple files.

Institutional development of higher education is not an end in itself, but a means to support Saudi universities, transform them into universities that create knowledge, compete globally, and actively participate in building the future economy.

** **

- Dr. Khalid bin Sarhan Al-Mutairi