At the fourth Arabic conference for culture and education, in Amman, Jordan, much was said about the failure of the educational system in the Arab countries to produce human resources capable of responding to the challenges of the technological age.
One speaker referred to the duality of the educational output – that is, while one group is trained according to Western values, and is in conflict with society, the other is versed in old concepts, and is equally unsuitable for the labor market. As a result, unemployment in the non-Gulf Arab countries stands at 18%, the highest in the world, while in the Gulf countries it is 8.5% percent.
Source: Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, London, April 26, 2007
