RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Education, Hamad bin Mohammed stressed the importance of cooperation with the United States in education and scientific research, SPA reported on Friday. This comes as part of working to achieve the goals of the Kingdoms Vision 2030 and the goals of sustainable development, the report added. The minister said there were 20,639 Saudi students and trainees studying in American universities and other educational institutions, and the number of Saudi students graduating from the US during the past 17 years has reached more than 167,729. “The Ministry of Education seeks to enhance the benefit of Saudi students by signing memoranda of understanding for scientific and research cooperation between Saudi universities and their American counterparts,” the report said. The minister said Saudi Arabia encouraged universities between the two countries to cooperate through joint research teams and exchange student scholarships. Engineering, health, management, information technology, English and law are the most studied majors by Saudi students in the US. The minister highlighted the importance of investment in education as one of the pillars of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 by attracting leading American universities to open branches in the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia also aimed to encourage American stakeholders to invest in public and university education, and contribute to the operation of technical and vocational colleges, he said. The Saudi ministry of education offers 318 annual scholarships to American students, and more than 167 students are currently studying in the Kingdom. The partnership between the Kingdom’s universities and American universities includes the signing of 289 agreements involving 125 for scientific and research cooperation, as well as 38 memoranda of understanding. Six executive programs to train students and exchange research and academic experiences have also been agreed, in addition to signing 120 contracts for services.