Madinah Gov. Prince Faisal bin Salman with a group of graduates following a convocation ceremony at Taibah University on Monday. The ceremony witnessed 12,613 graduates receiving their degrees. (SPA)

More than 12,600 students, including women, graduated from Taibah University in Madinah during an impressive ceremony on Monday. The event was attended by Madinah Gov. Prince Faisal bin Salman and other high-ranking officials.

The ceremony began with graduates of different departments parading in front of the guests and university officials with outstanding students leading.

In his welcome address, Dr. Adnan bin Abdullah Mazroue, president of the university, thanked Prince Faisal for officiating over the annual event, which marks the graduation of Taibah University’s 11th batch.

“These graduates will play an important role in boosting the Kingdom’s development in various sectors,” said the president while congratulating them on their achievements.

Khaled Al-Masoud, dean of admissions and registration, said the total number of graduates this year reached 12,613, including 8,421 female students. He said the graduates specialized in medicine as well as scientific and literary subjects, adding that the graduates have received a good education and training at the hands of qualified Saudi and foreign professors and lecturers.

A student representing the graduates spoke during the ceremony and thanked the university’s teachers and professors for helping them master in different subjects.

Abdul Aziz Mohammed, a Saudi blogger, praised Prince Faisal for attending the ceremony, saying it would boost the morale of graduates and their parents. He congratulated all graduates.

Another blogger, who identified himself as Anwar, praised the governor’s efforts to accelerate the overall development of the region, especially in the education sector.

Essam Hassan Owaidhah, dean of scientific research, emphasized Taibah University’s efforts to promote research.

“It is a fact that developed countries achieved economic and technological advancement as a result of their efforts in scientific research,” he said.

Owaidhah said scientific research is the basic tool to address problems of the community and serve national development plans.

He said the Kingdom’s WTO membership adds a significant burden and responsibility on scientific research at all the Kingdom’s universities, being the only way for developing quality products and services with capabilities to compete and stand against other foreign products.

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