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Since taking office from July 2018 as the Cultural Atta-
ché, I have had an eventful year. Increasing opportuni-
ties for postgraduate admission and clinical fellowship
training has always received the highest priority. Receiving
Saudi delegations visiting Singapore and meeting various
representatives from Singapore universities and institutions
to explore collaboration between both countries’ institutions
have also been main features of our work.

Education and Training

Arising from the efforts made, about 150 opportunities re-
lated to admission to postgraduate programmes and clinical
fellowship training have been secured for the next two years.
Building on recent results achieved, SACM-SG hopes to at-
tract more suitable scholars and clinicians to tap the golden
opportunities here.

I am extremely glad for our Saudi scholars to receive at least SG arranged for the Saudi delegation to visit Singapore’s 2
15 offers of admission to programmes commencing in August leading universities, NTU and NUS, to learn more about these
2019 and January 2020 at Nanyang Technological University great universities.
(NTU), National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore
Management University (SMU), INSEAD and TUM Asia. Visit by Saudi Ambassador to SACM-SG
The offers are to various Master/PhD programs: Audiology;
Computer Science; Finance; Management; Technopreneur- SACM-SG staff and I had great pleasure in welcoming His
ship and Innovation; Rail, Transport and Logistics; Engineer- Excellency Saad Saleh Al-Saleh, Ambassador of the Kingdom
ing, etc. More than 10 have accepted the offers. of Saudi Arabia to Singapore (pictured in the opposite page), to our
office at Valley Point in May 2019. We were deeply honoured by
I am also happy to inform that at least 20 clinical fellow- his visit and his opening of the expanded office.
ships have been awarded to Saudi clinicians to train in Surgi-
cal Breast Oncology, General Surgery, Diagnostic Imaging, Collaborative Meetings
Dermatology, Urogynaecology, Anaesthesiology, etc. with
various hospitals under the SingHealth Group and National SACM-SG’s work cannot be done in isolation. Thus, I had the
University Hospital Systems. Training under these fellow- privilege to meet various representatives from NUS and Sing-
ships commenced in June 2019 and will continue into 2020. Health Duke-NUS Breast Centre in exploring study and training
From September 2018 to August 2019, more than 6 clinical opportunities for our scholars.
fellows in various specialities have completed their training
in Singapore.

My team and I wish all our new scholars and clinical fellows International Exhibition and Conference on
exciting learning journeys ahead. Higher Education (IECHE) in Riyadh, April 2019

Saudi Delegations Visiting Singapore This year, we had the honour to have the participation of NUS,
SMU and University of the Philippines (UP) in Diliman at
September 2018 was an exceptionally busy month when IECHE in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was the golden opportu-
SACM-SG received 3 Saudi university delegations who were nity for prospective Saudi scholars to get to know these univer-
here for the World Academic Summit hosted by NUS. Del- sities and receive impetus to come to this part of the world for
egations from King Abdullah Medical City (KAMC) and the their studies.
Saudi Ministry of Communications and Information Tech-
nology (MCIT) also visited in the same month. In February The last year since I took office in July 2018 has been exhilarat-
2019, a delegation from Saudi Electronic University (SEU) ing. Much has been accomplished and there is no let-up in the
visited Singapore. The team worked extremely hard to make momentum. The team and I will continue to work hard to bring
sure that their visits were fruitful by arranging discussions with the attractive benefits of learning and training in Singapore to
local institutional representatives to understand their work Saudi people. The positive experiences as recounted by our clini-
and identify learning, training and collaborative opportunities. cal fellows who completed their clinical fellowship training – Dr
Mohammad Saqib Siddiqui, Dr Diyaa Abdulrauf Algazwi and
SACM-SG also had the pleasure to welcome two delegates Dr Abdullah Saad Aldriweesh – as well as our first Doctorate
from the Saudi Centre for International Strategic Partner- scholar – Dr Khalid Alharbi – serve to remind us of the satisfac-
ships (SCISP) in July 2019. In the same month, the largest tion that we all derive through hard work. My thanks go to all at
delegation by far of 72 participants, consisting of staff and SACM-SG and collaborative partners for a wonderful year!
students from 12 Saudi universities, was received. SACM-

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