Kabul (BNA) Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar met with the Minister of Education of Saudi Arabia, Dr. Hamad bin Mohammad Al-Sheikh and discussed educational cooperation between the two countries during his visit to Saudi Arabia on Friday, a MoFA statement said yesterday.
At the outset, Minister Atmar thanked the Saudi government for its assistance in various fields, especially in education and scholarships for Afghan students, and called for the expansion of cooperation in vocational training to Afghans in scientific and technical areas, according to the statement.
Welcoming the Foreign Minister, Dr. Hamad bin Mohammad Al-Sheikh said, “We want to be your partner in the transition to a new chapter in Afghanistan.” The Saudi Minister of Education expressed readiness to increase the number of scholarships for undergraduate and graduate programs paving the way for professional and specialized education for Afghans. He noted that Suadi Arabia can help Afghanistan through teacher training and curriculum development using the latest models and experiences.
At the end of the meeting, the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on academic and educational cooperation between the Ministries of Education of Afghanistan and the Ministry of Education of Saudi Arabia. This MoU will increase the mutual visits of education officials and student delegations of the two countries. It also increases the attention to Arabic language teaching for those interested in Afghanistan.
