Continuing education initiatives in The Arabian Gulf Region
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had realized the need for continuing education
for government employees of various levels as early as 1,961. For this purpose,
the Institute of Public Administration (IPA) was founded in Riyadh with regional
branches in Dammam, Jeddah, and Makkah Al-Mukarramah. IPA is therefore
considered as the first institution in the region offering short courses in library
and information science. Since then, a number of other CE programs have started
offering extended education in the Arabian Gulf Region.