Mohanraj
RIYADH:
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah inaugurated Sunday the
SR20-billion Princess Nora bint Abdulrahman University (PNU), 25 km east of the
Saudi capital, amid cheers of over 2,000 students and faculty members. With a
capacity to enroll about 50,000 students, the PNU is the largest women-only
university in the world and part of an ambitious education plan of the Saudi
government.
On arrival on
the university campus, King Abdullah was escorted by Riyadh Gov. Prince Salman
and Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf. The three boarded a university train for
a tour of the sprawling campus, which sits on a site that exceeds 800 hectares.
"Princess Nora
University is a symbol of women's education and women's participation in the
building of this nation," said Al-Assaf while giving an overview of the campus,
which includes a medical facility, a research center and a library with about
five million books and journals.
"A residential
area at PNU has about 1,400 villas, and massive hostel facilities to accommodate
12,000 students," said the minister, adding that a sports city for girls is
another major attraction besides a service tunnel along the university campus.
This education facility has set up major facilities complying with environmental
guidelines, said Al-Assaf.
To this end, he
noted that the PNU has a solid-waste treatment plant, wastewater treatment
facility, warehouses and maintenance workshops.
The inaugural
ceremony was attended by several members of the royal family, high-ranking Saudi
officials, foreign diplomats and a large number of guests. Prominent among those
present on the occasion was Minister of Higher Education Khalid Al-Anqari.
"The presence
of King Abdullah today and his consistent support is evidence of his keen desire
to educate and train women of this country with an aim to open all avenues for
them," said Al-Anqari.
"King Abdullah
was greeted by a large number of our female students and faculty members," said
PNU spokeswoman Thana Algabashi.
PNU President
Huda bint Mohammad Al-Ameel said PNU had become a major symbol of gender
equality and women's education in Saudi Arabia. She added that the university
campus has modern infrastructure facilities, including a high-tech transport
system that links all important facilities on the campus 24 hours a day. The
highlight of the transport system is an elevated railway that will facilitate
the smooth flow of traffic inside the campus.
Taking
advantage of the energy-saving technology, the campus buildings have been
designed in a way that use sunlight as a source of light. The 40,000 square
meters of solar paneling will provide 16 percent of power for campus heating and
18 percent for air-conditioning.
The new campus
includes a 700-bed university hospital, 15 colleges, a central library, a
conference hall, laboratories and three research centers for nanotechnology,
information technology and bioscience.
Speaking on
this occasion, British Ambassador Sir Tom Phillips said: "Today is an important
day and I want to pay tribute to the wisdom and leadership of Custodian of the
Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for opening the new campus of the university,
which makes it the largest women’s university in the world. The creation of the
magnificent campus demonstrates the commitment of the Saudi government to extend
educational opportunity to Saudi society."
The British
envoy added that "the UK is immensely proud of the academic links which unite
our two kingdoms." He said that such collaborations in the field of education
benefit students in both countries. There is also the excellent English language
teaching being provided by the British Council in Jeddah, Al-Khobar and Riyadh,
he noted.
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