Tunisia is seeking to reach a target of 10% of its total higher education student body coming from other countries by 2025.

Education agency Yes Atlas has launched Modarby, a platform connecting students with instructors aiming to become the "Airbnb for online teaching".

The Stevens Initiative has announced 18 grants for virtual exchange programs to ensure students can develop cross-cultural skills during the pandemic.

Education agents have welcomed news of Saudi Arabia's first-ever cultural scholarship program, which will provide scholarships to students who want to study culture and arts courses at international institutions.

US virtual exchange facilitator, the Stevens Initiative, has granted an additional round of funding to nonprofit Soliya, which it says will connect students in the US, Middle East, and North Africa.

Scholarships are key in increasing the numbers of mobile students from the Gulf region said educators and providers at the Gulf Conferences scholarship programme meeting this week in London. Stakeholders project huge growth in the region’s education sector.

Demographics, increased purchasing power and consenting government regulation have created a blooming market for private education providers and investors in the MENA region. However, a report carried out by Informa shows a mismatch in goals among operators and capital investors.

Private education in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is a booming market that will be worth $11.2 billion and service 300,000 students in 2015, due to the promise of long-term revenue from a sector where the demand outweighs supply, payment plans that allow tuition fees to be submitted in advance and government that can provide strong support.