The Ministry of Education is planning on raising the contribution of private school students to the total student count in the Kingdom to 25% vs. the current 15.5%, according to the General Manager of private education at the Ministry. The Ministry has 4,287 private schools under its supervision, 1,940 of which are international schools, in addition to 33 higher education institutions, with a total headcount of 1.15 mn students enrolled in private education entities, according to 2016 statistics. Growth in private education reached 15.5% in 2016 vs. 12.5% two years ago, as government support (including real-estate grants and concessional loans) has been a catalyst to growth.  (Argaam, Press Release)