Internal audit effectiveness in Saudi Arabia’s public sector higher education system

Internal auditing effectiveness (IAE) has become a critical function for many organisations. Academic research has concentrated on external auditing, as it is a way to monitor and review processes. Simultaneously, internal auditing is essential because it serves two main purposes. Firstly, it enhances the operations within the organisation, and, secondly, it helps an organisation to prevent and detect any mistakes or fraud, in order to protect . IAE has received limited attention in the literature, particularly in developing nations such as Saudi Arabia. However, such settings offer the possibility to improve our comprehension of internal auditing practices. Many developed countries have effective regulations for establishing and developing internal audit functions (IAFs) to maintain public trust and protect assets. So far, internal auditing in Saudi Arabia has been limited to account reporting and property transactions; there was no legal requirement for enhancing internal auditing activities in the country until 2004, when Cabinet Decree No. 235 was established, and then followed by resolution No. 129 in 2007. Despite these internal auditing regulations, there are still major concerns about the effectiveness of how public funds are managed in Saudi Arabia.