Under the late King Abdullah, Saudi set a target for itself to become a knowledge economy and by 2012, education consumed 10 percent of the budget. It imports top academic experts, including Nobel winners, to enrich and fast-track its goals. The government has also increased spending on elite universities in the kingdom, focusing attention on research in engineering and science.

These activities and investments have led to a massive expansion in quality and quantity of the academic institutions. Universities increased from 15 in 2005 to 34 last year. Enrolment increased from 604,000 in 2005 to 1.5 million in 2014.

The use and abuse of education: A letter to Adamu Adamu (II)