In a move aimed at raising the efficiency of the higher education sector and aligning its outputs with the objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, the Shura Council held its regular session today (Monday) under the chairmanship of His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al Sheikh, where it issued a package of important decisions and recommendations directed to a number of Saudi universities, which focused in their entirety on digital transformation, women’s empowerment, and enhancing innovation and financial sustainability.

The context of university development and Vision 2030

These recommendations come within the context of the comprehensive development movement underway in the Kingdom's education sector, which is based on the new university system aimed at granting academic institutions controlled autonomy that enables them to build their own resources. The Shura Council's call for universities to focus on "digital transformation" and "investment" is an integral part of the national transformation strategy to build a sustainable knowledge-based economy and reduce total dependence on direct government support by diversifying income sources through endowments and university-based companies.

Women's empowerment and corporate identity

During the session, the council directed Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University to adopt a clear institutional identity that focuses primarily on empowering women in areas of national development priority. The council also emphasized the importance of increasing the number of international students and activating student exchange programs, which will enhance cultural diversity and raise the university's global ranking and academic reputation.

Addressing shortcomings and enhancing quality

Regarding Al-Baha University, the council called for expediting the addressing of shortcomings in institutional performance, emphasizing the need to improve the quality of educational and research outputs. The recommendations stressed the importance of the university reflecting the region's identity and comparative advantages, along with the necessity of developing its digital infrastructure and building strategic partnerships with the private sector to ensure financial sustainability.

Innovation and the knowledge economy

In order to strengthen the knowledge economy, the Council urged King Faisal University to maximize the utilization of its innovative products, including patents and business incubators, and transform them into profitable investment models. The Council also called on the university to leverage its digital infrastructure to develop a smart student advising system, with a focus on data governance and privacy protection.

Heritage preservation and digital transformation

Among the prominent recommendations, which carry a global cultural and Islamic dimension, is the Council's request that the Islamic University of Madinah digitize its library's paper holdings. This step aims not only for preservation but also to make the scientific and Islamic heritage available to researchers worldwide, thus reinforcing the Kingdom's leading role in serving Islam and the Arabic language, while respecting intellectual property rights.

Additional recommendations and memoranda of understanding

The session also included demands for Jeddah University to complete the digital transformation system and establish an investment system for endowments, calls for Hafr Al-Batin University to attract national talent, and observations on the performance of Majmaah University to enhance the governance of initiatives.

The session concluded with the approval of two memoranda of understanding; the first between the High Commission for Industrial Security and Naif Arab University for Security Sciences, and the second between the Ministry of Transport and Logistics and its Tunisian counterpart for cooperation in the postal sector.

His Excellency the President of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), Dr. Abdullah bin Sharaf Al-Ghamdi, revealed an anticipated qualitative leap in the Saudi education sector, stressing that the Authority worked closely with the National Center for Curricula to author and develop curricula specializing in artificial intelligence, to be integrated into the educational system.

Integrating artificial intelligence into education: A vision for the future

During his remarks at today's government press conference, Al-Ghamdi explained that these curricula will not be rigid, but will undergo automatic and continuous updates to keep pace with rapid global technological advancements. He indicated that these curricula will encompass all educational levels in the coming years, with expectations that they will be made available to everyone online, thus enhancing opportunities for self-directed and lifelong learning.

This strategic direction aligns with the goals of the Kingdom's Vision 2030, which places great emphasis on developing human capital and equipping students with the skills of the future. Integrating artificial intelligence into education is a pivotal step towards building a generation capable of competing globally in the fields of technology and innovation, and solidifying the Kingdom's position as a global hub for data and artificial intelligence.

Ihsan Platform: A global model in charitable work

On the humanitarian front, the head of SDAIA highlighted the unprecedented achievements of the Ihsan platform, noting that charitable work is an inherent characteristic of the Kingdom and its people since the era of its founder. He emphasized that the platform was launched based on three main pillars: reliability, transparency, and ease of use, which has contributed to strengthening trust between donors and beneficiaries.

Al-Ghamdi highlighted the platform's record-breaking achievements, noting that donations through Ihsan take no more than five seconds, reflecting the efficiency of the platform's digital infrastructure. Total donations through the Ihsan Endowment Fund have exceeded two billion riyals, benefiting more than 2,400 charitable organizations across the Kingdom.

Figures reflect the scale of the donation

In detailing the scale of donations, Al-Ghamdi explained that total donations through the "Ihsan" platform since its launch have reached 14 billion riyals, collected through 330 million donation transactions. In 2025 alone, total donations reached 4.5 billion riyals through 135 million transactions, an astonishing rate of 4 donations per second, and an average daily donation of 12 million riyals.

Strict governance and ensuring donations reach their intended recipients

The head of SDAIA concluded his remarks by emphasizing the presence of supervisory bodies and subcommittees working to ensure the highest standards of governance in charitable work through the platform. He noted that donations reach their beneficiaries within a record time of no more than 72 hours from the moment of donation. He also highlighted the role of the "Istihqaq" platform, which enables charitable organizations to accurately verify the eligibility of beneficiaries, thus ensuring that Zakat and Sadaqah funds are directed to the most needy groups with complete transparency and fairness.