On Saturday 9th August 2014, under the patronage of H.E. Dr. Khalid bin Mohamed Al Anqari, the Saudi Minister of Higher Education, and in the presence of the Saudi Ambassador to Australia and New Zealand, Mr. Nabeel bin Mohammed Al Saleh; Cultural Attaché to Australia, Dr. Abdulaziz bin Taleb; representatives of Saudi and Australian educational institutions and group of high profile guests, at Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission to Australia (SACM) organized the 2014 Graduation Ceremony for 1613 Saudi sponsored students to celebrate their graduation with Bachelor, Masters and PhD degrees in various fields. Saudi students from around Australia, and their families and friends from Saudi Arabia and overseas, gathered for this magnificent ceremony in Brisbane.
The Ceremony started with the graduation procession followed by the Royal Salute of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Verses of the Holy Quran were thereafter recited.
H.E. Dr. Khalid bin Mohamed Al Anqari, Minister of Higher education of Saudi Arabia delivered a word whereby he conveyed congratulation of H.H. King Abdullah Bin Abdelaziz Al Saud and H.H. the Crown Prince to the graduates on their remarkable success and graduation. H.E. Dr. Al Anqari commended the success the King Abduallah Scholarship Program (KASP) has achieved since its inception in 1426H, saying that KASP has become the most important tributary to provide governmental and private sectors in Saudi Arabia with national distinguished and well qualified elites.
“KASP has, through its last stages, been successful in realizing Saudi Arabia’s ambitions to develop the national human resources according to a systematic scientific approach which is built on high levels of academic and professional standards”, said H.E. Dr. Al Anqari.
“The Saudi government has allocated enormous resources to support the general and higher education with a budget of SR 210 billions, which is equivalent to one fourth of the national budget. The number of universities and colleges have significantly increased across the Saudi cities and provinces”, added H.E. Dr. Al Anqari.
The Saudi Ambassador to Australia and New Zealand, Mr. Nabeel bin Mohammed Al Saleh addressed the ceremony praising the Saudi Ministry of Higher Education’s unlimited support to Saudi Arabian cultural missions. He expressed his thanks to H.H. King Abdullah Bin Abdelaziz Al Saud for extending the KASP to 5 years to come.
After the “Dream Journey” choir show, the Cultural Attaché to Australia, Dr. Abdulaziz bin Taleb introduced the graduates according to their fields and degrees – 820 Bachelor degree holders; 568 Masters Degree holders; 200 PhD holders and 5 fellowship graduates. Following recognition of students who had participated in the “Scientific Excellence Fair” and the outstanding students by H.E. Dr. Al Anqari, Dr. bin Taleb presented honorary trophies to H.E. Dr. Khalid bin Mohamed Al Anqari and Mr. Nabeel bin Mohammed Al Saleh.
Saudi prominent recruiters also attended the Job Fair which was organized by SACM together with the graduation ceremony, and continued to the following day. The Job Fair has been designed to reward KASP’s graduates with the chance to search for jobs and meet top executives from leading companies and universities in Saudi Arabia. SACM aims at helping the students move towards a smooth transition back to Saudi Arabia to give back to their beloved country through SACM’s Job Fair. The Job Fair is also an excellent opportunity for Saudi organizations to select high-achieving graduates for their staffing needs.