Saudis studying in Bahrain 'must live there'

(MENAFN-Arab News) the kingdom's higher education ministry has ordered about 200 saudi medical students studying in bahrain to live in that country if they want to qualify for government scholarships

The students had claimed that "security" and other problems in the country over the past three years had forced them to commute to universities in bahrain from their homes in the eastern province and other parts of saudi arabia

The rules of the saudi government's scholarship program specify that students must live in the countries where they study. the ministry had withdrawn the scholarships of several students

The saudi embassy's cultural section in manama rejected calls from the students for exemptions, saying it was essential for them to live in bahrain

There are around 2,700 saudi students in bahrain supported by the king abdullah foreign scholarship program

A female student, who preferred to remain anonymous, said saudis studying in that country face several challenges. "the saudi scholarship students in bahrain have many problems including the security situation. this has forced some of them, especially those who live in the eastern province, to go back to their homes after they finish their lectures and on weekends."

"the distance between the university residence and our homes in the eastern province is about 25 km," she said.