During the Opening Ceremony of the Global School Investment Expo (GSIE) 2025,
The Deputy Minister of Education for Investment: The Kingdom offers extensive opportunities to build sustainable educational partnerships
The Deputy Minister of Education for Investment, Eng. Abdulrahman Al-Hajri, inaugurated the Global School Investment Expo (GSOE) 2025 in Riyadh, which runs for three days. The exhibition brings together 35 entities from various countries and aims to showcase the latest educational systems and technologies while opening new investment opportunities in the education sector.
In his opening speech, Eng. Al-Hajiri emphasized that the ministry is actively working to enhance the education system with the support of our wise leadership. He pointed out that this current phase provides significant opportunities to establish sustainable educational partnerships focused on improving the quality of educational services and enhancing the effectiveness of educational outcomes.
He underscored that investing in education is fundamentally an investment in people and the development of a knowledge-based society that can compete on a global scale. Additionally, the ministry promotes an attractive and dynamic educational environment for investment by upgrading infrastructure, implementing modern operational models, and creating high-quality opportunities for both local and international investors.
Al-Hajiri said, "The Ministry is making significant efforts to enhance the infrastructure necessary for quality educational investments and to establish an ideal environment for innovative operating models driven by the private sector. The Ministry has completed seventy-five new construction projects at a total cost of 920 million riyals. Additionally, comprehensive maintenance has been conducted on over 15,000 school buildings at a cost exceeding 2 billion riyals, and more than 1,400 educational buildings have undergone restoration and rehabilitation at a cost of 782 million riyals."
He added that Saudi education has transformed into a promising investment environment, gaining the trust of investors worldwide. He emphasized that the ministry views investors as partners in advancing education. In this regard, the privatization program has led to the establishment of 120 new schools through a partnership model with the private sector. He also noted that since last year, international education companies have been granted 199 foreign investment licenses.
The Deputy Minister of Education for Investment indicated that the ministry has launched modern model schools in collaboration with the private sector, enabling investors to provide specialized educational solutions that address students' needs and align with community aspirations. The first technical school for the gifted was established in partnership with Tuwaiq Academy, and these schools have expanded to include five key educational departments. Additionally, the first sports school was launched in collaboration with the Ministry of Sports and Mahd Academy, and two schools for cultural talents were opened in partnership with the Ministry of Culture in Riyadh and Jeddah.
He mentioned that the significant growth in early childhood education is reflected in the enrollment rates for children aged 3 to under 6 years, which have increased to over 36%. Additionally, the enrollment rate for five-year-old has surpassed 75%. This upward trend suggests a promising investment opportunity. Furthermore, the ministry has facilitated the establishment of 1,069 new private schools.
For her part, HRH Princess Nujoud bint Hathloul bin Abdulaziz, Chairwoman of the Exhibition's Organizing Committee, stated, "The education and investment sector receive generous support and patronage from our wise leadership, along with significant efforts from the government to enable ambitious initiatives and achieve the goals of Vision 2030. This support, in turn, enhances strategic partnerships and explores innovative opportunities for knowledge transfer."
