Educational Reform Needed in the Middle East and North Africa
A recent report published on February 5th, by the World Bank has found that those countries in the Middle East and North Africa need drastic improvements and repairs to their education systems in order to meet the demands the global world. “The Road Not Traveled: Education Reform in the Middle East and North Africa”, takes an in depth look into the two regions, giving a very detailed and comprehensive economic analysis of the impact of education investments on the region. The report highlights that the last 40 years of educational investments have now closed the gender gap in the primary schools, thus resulting effects have been an almost universal education. Nevertheless, the regions face continued challenges due to globalization and the “increasing importance of knowledge in the development process.” Both regions continue to lag behind East Asia and Latin America in both literacy levels and the average number years of school attendence among those 15 years and older.
“Since education is the main source of knowledge creation, the task is clear,” the report says. “The education systems must be changed to deliver new skills and expertise necessary to excel in a more competitive environment.” In todays shrinking global world education is the key, but the key must fit more than the domestic lock…it must be a universal key to open all global doors.