Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Education is planning to take on private investors as strategic partners in education projects planned in the coming period, Saudi’s Minster of Education, Ahmad Al Issa, was quoted as saying in a speech in the Global Competiveness Forum (GCF). The strategy aims to increase the government’s spending efficiency and diversifying sources of funding for programmes and projects, Al Issa added. The plan will be based on four pillars: i) continued support for national secondary and tertiary education; ii) privatising a number of public schools, to become independent entities, to be managed by small and medium enterprises; iii) partnering with the private sector to finance and operate government-owned schools; and iv)  establishing a company under Tatweer Education Holding Company, which will act as the government’s investment arm to manage suitable spaces for educational institutions, owned by the Ministry of Education. (Argaam)