Education is inarguably a cornerstone of development. In the Middle East, the development challenges presented by the shifts in the global economy are dramatically compounded by the tide of a demographic youth bulge that will dictate any conversation about regional social, political and economic trends. As regional universities and colleges adapt to these trends, the relevance of the specific courses offered by these institutions and their ability to meet the demands and goals of the region come into sharp focus.
While the impact on the individual as well as the local and regional social fabric is multifaceted and complex, the overriding imperative of scholarship and higher education is to contribute sustainably to socio-economic development. For most Gulf campuses of foreign universities, study programmes that fulfil this mandate are guided by both an established core curriculum and the integration of regional relevance in topical focus.
This region is more familiar with the idea of vocational education and immediate employability. However, the constant innovation of technology and the shrinking importance of borders and boundaries has led to the need for the multidisciplinary skill set of a liberal arts-driven education, which helps build human capacity in critical thinking and creativity in problem solving.
Foreign universities replicating high international standards in the Gulf have faced criticisms of neglecting the local context of society, language and tradition, condemning such programmes to partial relevance at best. But we are seeing more quality core curriculum complemented by electives, research themes, and creative use of resources that intimately connect to local and regional interests. One example is Georgetown Qatar’s Arabic for Heritage Learners for students from an Arabic background whose language acquisition has been incomplete.
It is such targeted enrichment of the established core curricula, without sacrificing any of the original quality that will make for relevance, success and the sustainable contribution of these branch campuses to the development of these societies and economies.
But building regional capacity will not only hinge on targeted enrichment of course offerings but on close collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders — both local and regional educational institutions and global partners. It will also require a broad interplay of teaching strategies, capacity building in research and innovations in educational technology. It is clear that there is commitment to building sustainable education infrastructures at the highest level. Done right, this will contribute not only to regional development but to global citizenship.
— The writer is Dean of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in Qatar and Professor of International Relations and Middle East Politics. He is also a council member of the World Congress for Middle Eastern Studies
