Education and empowerment of saudi women in light of vision 2030

Women in Islamic society have an important position and all their rights should be guaranteed, including the right of education according to the Islamic law. The education of Saudi women has received a great deal of attention since the time of King Abdul Aziz. This paper addresses the role of Agricultural and Food Sciences College at King Faisal University in educating and empowering Saudi women. A descriptive and quantitative analysis was carried out based on secondary data obtained from the annual King Faisal University statistics and Saudi Ministry of Education statistics. The results showed that the number of female students was about 14% for the academic year 1978-1979, and it has grown to 68% for the academic year 2016-2017. The role of the college also opened the door for female students to complete their master degree in 2005-2006. The College has also been keen to employ and recruit highly qualified staff, giving some opportunities for leadership positions. The college staff were confident of carrying the message they received from their college, achieving the vision of the college towards excellence in education, scientific research and community service. This definitely fulfills Saudi’s Vision 2030 through equal opportunities in education and empowerment. This study recommends that it is necessary to ensure the participation of female Saudi staff in promising researches and facilitate their access to the University laboratories and research centers.