Academics say more nations must contribute to fund

Dubai/ Abu Dhabi: Education officials and academics in the UAE said more countries should contribute to the Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation.

They stressed that the education disparity between the Arab world and the rest of the world can only be overcome with regional cooperation.

His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai set up a Dh37 billion endowment to promote human development and improve knowledge infrastructure in the Arab world.

"This is a wake up call for other countries in the region," said Dr Hanif Hassan, Minister of Education, adding that countries that were 'serious' about education should participate in the initiative.

"Shaikh Mohammad recognised the knowledge disparity between the Arab world and the rest of the world, and this is an attempt to address that," he said.

Dr Abdullah Al Karam, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority expressed confidence in other states contributing to the fund, saying the monetary wealth of the Gulf states would complement the 'population wealth' of the rest of the Arab world.

"This is a continuous and growing fund. The UAE started it and others will join," he said.

Mubarak Saeed Al Shamsi, Director General of Abu Dhabi Education Council, said Shaikh Mohammad's initiatives show the UAE's interest in developing education and promoting human development not only in the UAE but also across the Arab world.

Extensive research

"The initiative, the largest of its kind in the region, will put in place the necessary infrastructure for scientific and technological research - the most important factor for advancement in countries," Al Shamsi said.

One of the best features of the initiative, he said, is that it will help resolve two major challenges the Arab world faces - illiteracy and unemployment.

Dr Ebtisam Al Kitby, professor of political science at UAE University, said there was a need to concentrate on creating a society "capable of carrying out extensive research and studies" as opposed to nurturing the youth to look for "easy profit-making".

She said that the UAE should not be expected to be the sole contributor. "It is a much needed initiative which will create a society based on scientific research, but other Arab countries should come up with similar approaches to tackle serious issues that are crippling the Arab world," she said.

"The foundation cannot solve all the challenges facing the region alone," said Dr Yassar Jarrar, Executive Dean and Research Fellow at Dubai School of Government. Dr Jarrar said, "At least 100 million jobs should be made available in the next two decades for the region to grow economically."

- With additional inputs from Samir Salama, Bureau Chief

Arab world publishes 1.1% of books in world

The education disparity between the Arab world and other countries was highlighted in 2003 by the United Nations Development Programme's Arab Human Development Report, entitled 'Building a Knowledge Society', which stated that the number of books published in the Arab world constitute 1.1% of world production, while the population of Arab countries is 5% of world population.

It also found that the Arab world published fewer literary and artistic books than Turkey, whose population is a quarter of the Arab countries.

Twenty-two per cent of the Arab world's population is composed of youth, of which 25 per cent is unemployed, according to statistics provided by the Dubai School of Government.