Manama: Improving the social and financial level status of teachers in the Arab countries is critical to ensure the delivery of quality education in the region, Dr Mohammad Faour, senior associate at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Lebanon, has said.
Speaking at Qatar's World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE 2011) session on ‘Education and Change in the Arab World', Faour said that the region needed more teachers who possessed the necessary skills to bolster the poorly observed 21st century learning in the classrooms.
Social status
"When it comes to social status and financial level, teachers in the Arab countries are relatively lower that those serving in other countries," he said. "This is only one of the shortcomings in meeting quality education in the Arab world but most critical. We need more teachers who are creative, who can upgrade their skills, who can adapt to different situations and enthusiastic and dedicated to their profession," Faour said, quoted by Qatar Tribune daily.
Apart from the working condition of teachers, Faour also identified leadership competence of those in authority such as the ministries of education and proper management skills of school administrators or principals as among the enablers of change in the education system.
'Old fashioned teaching'
He also identified the ‘old-fashioned' teaching delivery method still prominent in schools across Arab countries as one of the shortcomings of the system.
"The delivery method being used is still memorisation or lecture-based rather than critical thinking and problem solving. It is important to promote and develop the 21st century skills or key competence skills in classrooms such as communication in native and foreign language, basic competence in math, science and technology, sense of initiative and entrepreneurship, social and civic competence and cultural awareness," he said.
Long term
Dr Tarik Yusuf, CEO of Silatech Foundation, acknowledged the long-term effect of the Arab Spring on the education system of the Arab world.
"The Arab Spring is possibly the best thing that could have happened to the agenda of education reform in the Arab world," he said. "It could possibly elevate the education agenda and promote more long-term reforms and commitment to education. The Arab Spring creates the possibility for comprehensive change," he said.
Salah Eddine Kandri, manager of consumer services at EMENA and e4e project leader at the International Finance Corporation, called for more 21st century oriented skills development among Arab youth.
Citing the relationship of education with growing unemployment among Arab graduates, he said one of four Arab youth experiences difficulty in finding jobs after graduation. The situation is worse among female graduates with unemployment exceeding 30 per cent.
