Gulf education system 'failing business'

The education system in the Gulf is failing and leaving Arab businesses trailing behind the rest of the emerging markets, a panel of regional business leaders has warned GCC governments.

According to experts the Gulf will need to create 100 million jobs by 2030 but its education system is failing to produce students of the right calibre for business, the four men and one woman panel concluded.

Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair, speaker of the house at the Federal National Council and CEO of Mashreq told delegates that the challenge would not be to fill 100 million jobs, but to find 100 million employable candidates to fill the positions.

"Most college graduates we see are not fit for international standards and we have had to lower our standards and give them a year's worth of training to make sure they are fit for the jobs we have."

Mutlaq Al Morished, vice president of corporate finance at Saudi petrochemicals giant SABIC said that there were "too many bureaucratic restrictions" and that it was "much easier" for him to export to China rather than Arab countries.

"According to McKinsey there is not one single Arab university In the top universities in the world, not one. In fact we are bottom of that list and our standards are way below those of the names in that list. We are sending students to the US to study but how many companies can do that?" he said.

"What the economy needs and what the education sector is producing is something else," he added.

Shaikh Mohammed Bin Essa Al Khalifa, chief executive of the Bahrain Economic Development Board urged Arab countries and its nationals to "move away from an entitlement culture".

"It is important to create management skills but we must not also forget how important vocational skills are. They are the lifeblood of our economies. What is limiting us today is finding the right people with the right skills.

This lower to middle level is the problem and to change this we need to improve our education systems. Every Gulf country is investing in education but it will take time to see the results materialise," he added.

Al Ghurair added: "Let's remove ourselves from being comfortable. We need to groom our students and urge them to take risks."

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READERS' COMMENTS

Gulf Education
Posted by Gloria, Sharjah, UAE on Wednesday 21 November 2007 at 08:00 UAE time


What all the advisory panels and critics of the education system in the UAE seem to have forgotten is that the education system here is only 37 years in the making. However, give it credit for the development made in that short space of time. Yes there are huge differences in the systems, but the needs are slowly being addressed. 
One of the shortfalls is that the system currently focuses on secondary and higher education needs. In order to ensure students are ready for the transition from primary to secondary, and secondary to higher education, they need to start at the primary level. Children learn quickly at this level and it is here that a development plan should focus with the aim to produce the next generation that will fulfill the strategy 2020 vision. Children should be taught in the medium required for higher education at this level with skilled teachers, with a focus on retaining their arabic heritage in culture and language. The curriculum should develop their English language abilities and train them how to study and achieve success.In this manner you would have a bilingual generation capable of stepping up to the challenges of the business world.  
Although there are many dedicated teachers, currently far too many teachers are interested only in receiving a pay cheque without a thought for imparting knowledge properly. They teach by rote, and in English they translate into Arabic which does nothing to teach students how to challenge their own abilities, improve their knowledge and prepare them for the reality of university, let alone the workplace.

failing universities?
Posted by Martin Giesen, Sharjah, UAE on Monday 19 November 2007 at 21:00 UAE time


The reality is not as bleak as some see it. 66% of graduates from a professional school at an American type university in Sharjah are gainfully and productively employed in their field of specialization one year after completing a professional degree. These students - male and female alike - are representative of the UAE range of nationalities. They have learned professional skills, are inculcated with excellent work ethics, are effective teamworkers and adhere to global standards of excellence. External rankings tend to favour the well known celebrities of the past. But new talent is growing right here in the Emirates. As we speak, these home grown contributors are making a difference in the private and public sectors of the Emirati economy.

Too Relaxed
Posted by Mohammed Mehyo, Abu Dhabi, UAE on Monday 19 November 2007 at 19:00 UAE time


Even the students who are sent abroad to study end up struggling. A lot of people, even within the gulf itself, agree that a lot of spolied, lazy students come from a gulf educational background. Students these days are becoming lazy and dependant, the gulf educational system is too lenient on them, they do not learn to work hard, all it takes is a single complaint to get a teacher to make a test or assignment easier. I have witnessed this first hand, having left the gulf to study abroad only recently. The educational system in the gulf is in need of major changes.

Gulf Education System
Posted by Patience, London on Sunday 18 November 2007 at 18:00 UAE time


Mr Al Ghurair could not have put it better. 
"Let's remove ourselves from being comfortable...." - unless our students / children learn to WORK, sweat, dirty their hands, there will always be the need for expartiates. It is OUR country, WE must WORK HARD and SWEAT for it. Give up our comforts temporarily, to learn and therefore become immediately employable.

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