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Yousef Al-Benyan Devotes Vast Experience to Serve Saudi Education System

Saudi Education Minister Yousef bin Abdullah Al-Benyan. (SPA)
Saudi Education Minister Yousef bin Abdullah Al-Benyan. (SPA)
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Yousef Al-Benyan Devotes Vast Experience to Serve Saudi Education System

Saudi Education Minister Yousef bin Abdullah Al-Benyan. (SPA)
Saudi Education Minister Yousef bin Abdullah Al-Benyan. (SPA)

Yousef bin Abdullah Al-Benyan was appointed as Saudi Minister of Education on Tuesday by a Royal Decree by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz.

A holder of advanced degrees in economics and industrial and economic management, Al-Benyan embarks on a journey to develop the education sector in the Kingdom, and to devote his vast experience to achieve the best learning environment for future generations.

Al-Benyan has held the position of Vice-Chairman and CEO of Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC), the world’s largest petrochemicals manufacturers, since 2015.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s degree in industrial management, in addition to many specialized diplomas in executive management.

Throughout his rich career, he occupied several posts, most notably Vice-Chairman and CEO of SABIC, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of SABIC Agri-Nutrients, SABIC Investment and Local Content Development Company (Nusaned), the Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA), and the Petrochemical Manufacturers Committee. He was also member of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Tadawul Group and the Saudi Information Technology Company (SITE).

Al-Benyan was also appointed Chairman of the Business Group (B20) of the Group of Twenty (G20) under the Saudi Presidency. Moreover, he chaired the boards of a number of companies, and was member of many business boards, forums, boards of institutions, bodies and programs at the national and global levels.

Coming from the corridors of industrial giants, Al-Benyan is expected to contribute to the alignment of the education sector with Saudi Arabia’s goal to improve the learning environment and to stimulate creativity and innovation in order to meet the requirements of national development and the needs of the labor market.

The minister is also expected to employ his administrative experience in the building of work systems, executive strategies, and awareness of the conditions for industrial and scientific success, in line with Saudi Vision 2030, which seeks to harmonize the outputs of the educational system with the needs of the labor market, expand vocational training to advance economic development, and concentrate scholarship opportunities on areas that serve the national economy.

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Lacking Aid, Syrians Do What They Can to Rebuild Devastated Aleppo 

A drone view shows houses without roofs in Aleppo, Syria, April 19, 2025. (Reuters)
A drone view shows houses without roofs in Aleppo, Syria, April 19, 2025. (Reuters)
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Lacking Aid, Syrians Do What They Can to Rebuild Devastated Aleppo 

A drone view shows houses without roofs in Aleppo, Syria, April 19, 2025. (Reuters)
A drone view shows houses without roofs in Aleppo, Syria, April 19, 2025. (Reuters)

Moussa Hajj Khalil is among many Syrians rebuilding their homes from the rubble of the historic and economically important city of Aleppo, as Syria's new leaders struggle to kick-start large-scale reconstruction efforts.

Aleppo, Syria's second largest city and a UNESCO World Heritage site, was deeply scarred by more than a decade of war between government and opposition forces, suffering battles, a siege, Russian air strikes and barrel bomb attacks.

Now, its people are trying to restore their lives with their own means, unwilling to wait and see if the efforts of Syria's new government to secure international funding come to fruition.

"Nobody is helping us, no states, no organizations," said Khalil, 65, who spent seven years in a displacement camp in al-Haramain on the Syrian-Turkish border.

Impoverished residents have "come and tried to restore a room to stay in with their children, which is better than life in camps," he said, as he observed workers repairing his destroyed home in Ratyan, a suburb in northwestern Aleppo.

Khalil returned alone a month ago to rebuild the house so he can bring his family back from the camp.

Aleppo was the first major city seized by the opposition when they launched an offensive to topple then-leader Bashar al-Assad in late November.

Assad was ousted less than two weeks later, ending a 14-year war that killed hundreds of thousands, displaced millions and left much of Syria in ruins.

'DOING WHAT WE CAN'

While Syria lobbies for sanctions relief, the grassroots reconstruction drive is gaining momentum and providing work opportunities.

Contractors labor around the clock to meet the growing demand, salvaging materials like broken blocks and cement found between the rubble to repair homes.

"There is building activity now. We are working lots, thank God!" Syrian contractor Maher Rajoub said.

But the scale of the task is huge.

The United Nations Development Program is hoping to deliver $1.3 billion over three years to support Syria, including by rebuilding infrastructure, its assistant secretary-general told Reuters earlier this month.

Other financial institutions and Gulf countries have made pledges to help Syria, but are hampered by US sanctions.

The United States and other Western countries have set conditions for lifting sanctions, insisting that Syria's new rulers demonstrate a commitment to peaceful and inclusive rule.

A temporary suspension of some US sanctions to encourage aid has had limited effect, leaving Aleppo's residents largely fending for themselves.

"We lived in the camps under the sun and the heat," said Mustafa Marouch, a 50-year-old vegetable shop owner. "We returned and are doing what we can to fix our situation."