The KAUST School hosted its third annual Saudi University Fair on 4 March 2020, with high school students from Jeddah, Thuwal, Qadimah, Saabr and KAUST attending online to learn more about degree courses and vocational post-high school options.
Although online conferences and expos have become familiar over the past year, the TKS Saudi University Fair is a unique offering in the Kingdom at present.
The largest University Fair that TKS has hosted to date, the three hour presentation comprised information sessions with fifteen institutions from all over the Kingdom. Representatives from each university gave a talk about their setting, taking students through the registration and admission requirements, a detailed overview of each major and what careers subject choices could lead to, as well as answering pre-submitted questions. Although in-person visits to a campus will give a prospective student an experience not replicable online, virtual visits do have an advantage over physical - in three hours, students ‘visited’ Jeddah, Riyadh, Bisha, Dammam, Taibah and Makkah. Virtual university tours offer a chance to see a far wider range of options than previously possible.
As part of a continued drive to help students develop their future educational plans, the annual Fair complements stand-alone presentations held earlier in the academic year from the Swiss Education Group and Effat University.
Students from The KAUST School and KAUST’s Young Learners Development Program (YLDP) attended. The YLDP works with students throughout their school career, from Elementary to High School, providing supplementary support to schools in developing skills English, STEM, digital literacy, soft skills and environmental awareness. The High School program expands to anticipate the transition to higher education for targeted students by offering access to university fairs, interview and CV building practice sessions, ESL classes and university aptitude test training.
Eidah Al-Huwaiti, Principal of Thuwal High School for Girls said the Fair was a vital part of high school students’ planning for their future, helping them choose universities that offer courses that match their interests and career goals.
Badria Al Jahani, Principal of Saabr Girls School, agreed, adding: “These Fairs are important to the students, connecting students in the Kingdom to discuss topics important to their educational future.”
KAUST Social Responsibility partners with higher education institutions throughout the year to provide access to information on relevant opportunities to students, as part of our commitment to contribute to the Kingdom’s Sustainable Development Goals. Supporting quality education provides the necessary skilled and qualified people to meet the needs of the developing employment sector.
For further information on the Universities, please click the links to their websites below.
With thanks to the attending institutions
Which of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals does this support?
Part of the Young Learners' Development Program - read the Program Overview here
KAUST Social Responsibility is dedicated to enriching lives sustainably by pushing boundaries to set new standards; to utilize our intellectual and social capital to deliver educational, cultural and professional programs across the Kingdom, nurturing strong community relationships and collaboration.
March 11, 2020
