DAR AL ISLAM: ARAB EDUCATION FALLING BEHIND...DOES THAT SHOCK YOU?!?

Education in Arab world falling behind

World Bank report says better quality needed in education sector in Middle East, North Africa.
AMMAN - A World Bank report said on Monday the quality of education in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has not

"The relationship between education and economic growth in the MENA has remained weak, and the divide between education and unemployment has not been bridged," said the report, launched in Amman.

"Countries in the region have made significant progress in reforming educational systems ... yet these achievements remain below other countries at similar levels of economic development."

According to the "Road not Travelled" report, per capita economic growth in the region over the past 20 years has been relatively low despite educational improvements.

One reason is that the "quality of instruction in the region is too low for schooling to contribute to growth and productivity."

"There is a pressing need within the region to redirect educational approaches across all stages and all forms to educate students on how to think and not what to think," Marwan Musher, a World Bank senior vice president, said at the launch.

"Education systems do not support adequately the development by girls and boys of analytical skills, problem-solving skills, critical thinking and innovation," he said.

Daniela Gressani, another senior vice president, said that "education reform is urgent to address the challenges of unemployment and integration in the global economy."

The Tunis-based Arab League Educational Cultural and Scientific Organisation said last month that 75 percent of the 100 million people in the Arab world are illiterate.

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