This track deals with executing the studies that aim at providing essential information that evaluates the satisfactory of cost and financing aspects in the higher education institutes in the Kingdom on scientific and objective basis. This study also includes studying the two main aspects of these resources, which are: the cost and financing of the higher education, and the equipments and infrastructure, i.e., educational buildings, facilities, and equipments.
This study also deals with solving the organizational and administrative issues that controls utilizing these resources in the best way.
This study is significant because it aims atrevising and evaluating the current and futuristic situation of the higher education financing characteristics and needs, the infrastructures, and the policies and trends of expenditure. Throughout this study, identifying the competitive situations among the higher education institutes will be clear, as well as comparing it with those abroad in order to enhance the quality of financing resources, expenditure, and developing and maintaining infrastructures and its response towards supply and demand needs and the educational and developmental needs as well.
This study in general, aims at studying the financing resources, policies of the higher education expenditure, the manner and quality of financing and expenditure, their trends and impact on the higher education in terms of quality and quantity, and surveying the available prospects and infrastructure, its efficiency, manageability, and usage. This study should also achieve a number of additional objectives represented in the following:
Diagnostic studies, strategical analysis, and the comparative studies with international experiences, and the perspective of the future regarding the financing issues and infrastructure of the financing and cost operation, and higher education privatization.
Studying the contribution of the private sector towards supporting the higher education institutes.
Suggesting methods for increasing the quality and efficiency of the current and futuristic funding resources, and the local and foreign investment of the higher education institutes.
The scope of this study and its aspects includes at least the following:
Studying the financing manners and resources of both governmental and private higher education institutes, and evaluating them relying on local and international criteria, the required futuristic financing, and the quality of equipment financing and its efficiency.
Studying the international experiences of the transfer from legislative governmental financing to the flexible one, and developing instructional criteria relying on the results of the objective evaluation, and the university education privatization, and indicating its satisfaction to the Kingdom.
The effect of merging/separating different specialized institutes on the capital and operational cost.
Expenditure policies and scopes, procedures, trends, and the expenditure futuristic ------- , and its quality in the higher education institutes in terms of needs and objectives.
Suggesting methods for developing and varying the financing resources, and increasing the efficiency of the expenditure operation in the high education system, and the available financial resources required for the continuation of the higher education institutes, and enabling them to perform their duties efficiently.
Investment in the higher education sector (market and investment methods).
Inventing of the current and futuristic needs in the institutes in terms of infrastructure and its efficiency and quality, and management, organization and usage policies, training and maintenance needs, etc., and the methods of its development, and the best methods applied all over the world.
The information used for the study should be complete and authorized. In addition, the study needs the contribution of both stakeholders and the audience via convening seminars, workshops, and intensive brainstorming meetings.
A qualified and skillful team should be formed, and the team shall consult international experts -when needed- in order to complete the study as requested. Moreover, the established scientific procedures should be used in satisfying the needs of the study.
The study’s perspective for the future should comprise the duration of the plan for the coming 25 years (i.e. until the year 2032).
The basic components of this study should be indicated accurately, and studied in terms of the various changes, indicators, and both local and international criteria, in addition to the Kingdom’s development including the economical, social, demographic, technical, and scientific aspects, as well as the requirements of consecutive national development plans.
Literature, theoretical concepts, international experience, and best practices should be reviewed for not fewer than five higher education information technology experiences from different countries of varying development records. The characteristics of those experiences, the reasons for their positive and negative outcomes in the study, as well as the possibility and the way of applying their positive outcomes, and dealing with the findings in the Kingdom effectively, all should be previewed.
The current situation should be studied by reviewing the different aspects of this study, such as challenges and problems, different phenomena, supply and demand, and the effects of different operations in higher education institutes that are related to the study.
The conditions of higher education institutes in the Kingdom should be compared and contrasted within the framework of this study locally, and then compared with international experiences and against educational standards.
Various aspects of the current situations should be analyzed, and the efficiency of related policies and methods should be estimated. In addition, the vital methods required for developing the higher education system should be identified in order to achieve synchronization with the developmental needs and various issues according to their importance and changes both for now and in the future.
A comprehensive strategic analysis for the subject of this study should be performed and should indicate the related issues, aims and future objectives. The analysis should reflect on the challenges and opportunities, obstacles, and the areas of strength and weakness (through comparative and gap studies), then the needs of the stakeholders should be addressed. Indicating the basis of success, drawing the expected scenarios, analyzing the strategic options and their applicability, all help in achieving the real objectives of that long-term plan.
All the changes mentioned in this study should be linked so as to enable deriving comprehensive conclusions. Achieving this might -as needed- demand designing mathematical models to represent interactions between various reciprocating relationships such as components and variables related to the scope of this study. That will provide the tool required to forecast the future behavior of these variables and to conduct reliability analyses for the coming 25 years, .i.e. until the year 2032.
The most effective factors in this study should be the subject of prognostic studies that should be compiled and supported whenever applicable by graphical representation.
The methods and best practices should be presented, and the requirements for achieving the objectives of the study should be proposed.
The study should introduce total quality methods and mechanisms that shall achieve close and harmonic coordination among the parameters of the study and the recommended practices so that their application fits labor market demands, international changes, and the current and future local needs.
Determining the results and giving recommendation
Specific Requirements
Revising the five-year plans and the futuristic trends regarding the higher education financing, which includes the student’s financial support, their educational grant system, and estimating the required futuristic financing in higher education.
Studying the investment in the higher education sector (market and investment methods).
A seminar, workshops, and meetings with focus groups should be held in order to conceive and take note of different opinions that help in giving recommendations.
All the activities done in these brainstorming meetings, the seminar and the workshops should be documented and presented to the Supervising Committee of Aafaq.
This study should present a comprehensive report that includes the following:
An executive summary of the study.
A documentation of all reference information included in the study.
An analysis of the scientific and the objective outcomes of the current cost and infrastructure track and all its aspects including the results of the current situation analysis study, comparative studies, prognostic studies, and the needs of development plans.
Highlights of the outcomes of meetings with focus groups, general seminars, brainstorming seminars, workshops, etc.
Studying the different scenarios, evaluating the efficiency of the cost and financing, and the strategic options that would meet the objectives of the long-term plan.
Methods for developing the higher education financial resources.
Comparing the outcomes of the study with the most vital international indicators within the scope of this study.
A comprehensive analysis of the outcomes of the study.
Indicating the needed equipment according to the number of students, professors, and administrators.
Forecasts and trends in organizing and managing the equipment and resources and other services in the higher education institutes.
Defining the issues concerning cost, financing, and infrastructure according to their importance, as well as indicating the strategic options that would meet the objectives of the long-term plan.
Determining the needed methods of execution, budgets, temporal plan, execution responsibilities, and other technical parameters that affect the performance of the infrastructure.
Recommendations relying on scientific and objective basis in order to help in forming the strategy and the long-term plan.
Defining a monitoring and control system, benchmarks, measuring criteria, and standardized indicators.
