Education and the Future of the Gulf: The Imperative of Reform

The Centre for Arab Unity Studies has published the book Education and the Future of the Gulf: The Imperative of Reform, by Mirza Hassan Al-Qassab.

The states of the Gulf Cooperation Council face the challenge of shifting from a rentier economy to a productive one, in order to secure sustainable economic growth in the post-oil era. This requires developing new sectors and producing non-oil goods and services that can compete and be exported once oil revenues recede. At the heart of this orientation lies education, as the main pillar for developing the human capital needed to achieve economic transformation; no state can advance without relying on a skilled national workforce, as the experiences of other countries demonstrate.

This book sets out the main factors that contribute to economic transformation, with a focus on the role of education in achieving it. It also sheds light on the deep-seated challenges that hinder the radical reform of education, most notably weak political will, the absence of long-term strategic planning, and the persistence of a rentier mindset that favours quick returns over long-term investment in education and scientific research. Maintaining the status quo and ignoring the reforms this transformation requires will not pave the way for a successful transition to the post-oil era.