Keyword

Higher education, General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), regulatory reforms, education hubs

Abstract

Deregulation, privatization and the change in international rules on trade in services led to the increase in the number of private higher education institutions and international branch campuses in the Arab Gulf region. With the inspiration to shift to a knowledge-based economy and to prepare graduates to meet the needs of the public and the private sectors, recent initiatives in higher education in these countries have been either mostly state-driven or mostly market-driven, with varying degree of success. These initiatives required changes in the regulatory environment and did not fully address the challenges faced in the higher education sector. The paper examines the rationales and strategies used by six countries in the Arab Gulf, which are working towards positioning themselves as regional education hubs, highlighting the challenges and the areas that require further study.


Full Text : PDF
References
  1. Ahmed, A. A. and Rao, C. P. (2011) The University as a Multinational Corporation. Journal of International Business Education, 6, 119-138
  2.  Al-Eisa, E.S. and Smith, L. (2013). Governance in Saudi Higher Education. In Smith, L. and Abouammoh, A. (Eds.), Higher Education in Saudi Arabia: Achievements, Challenges and Opportunities. Dordrecht: Springer Science, p. 27-35
  3. Bashir, S. (2007). Trends in International Trade in Higher Education: Implications and Options for Developing Countries. Education Working Paper Series No. 6. Washington, D.C: The World Bank.http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EDUCATION/Resources/278200-1099079877269/547664-1099079956815/WPS6_Intl_trade_higherEdu.pdf
  4. Becker, R.F.J. (2009). International branch campuses: markets and strategies. London: The Observatory on Borderless Higher Education.
  5. Bilboe, W. (2011). Vocational education and training in Kuwait: Vocational education versus values and viewpoints. International Journal of Training Research, 9, p. 256–260
  6. Birtwistle, T. (December, 2006). Higher education and the general [lack of] agreement on trade in services: from Doha to Hong Kong and beyond. Education and the Law, 18 (4), 295-307
  7. Clark, N. (September 1, 2013). International Academic Mobility: Kuwait. World Education News & Reviews. http://wenr.wes.org/2013/09/international-academic-mobility-kuwait
  8. Coffman, J. (2003). Higher education in the Gulf Privatization and Americanization. International Higher Education, 33, p. 17-19
  9. Dakhli, M. and El Zohairy, D. (2013). Emerging Trends in Higher Education in the GCC: A Critical Assessment. Alon, I. Jones, V. and McIntyre, J. R. (eds.). Innovation in Business Education in Emerging Markets. Palgrave Macmillian, Hamphire: England, p. 43-60
  10. Denman, B. D. and Hilal, K. T. (2011). From Barriers to Bridges: An Investigation on Saudi Student Mobility (2006–2009). International Review of Education, 57, p. 299–318
  11. Goodliffe, T., Trevor-Roper, S., Razvi, S. and Al Habsi, F. (2015). Accommodating diversity: developing an institutional accreditation system for the higher education sector in Oman. Paper reprented in INQAAHE Conference. Changing Lanscape of Higher Education: New Demands on Quality Assurance. http://www.oaaa.gov.om/About.aspx#Conference
  12. Jamjoom, Y. (September 2012). Understanding Private Higher Education in Saudi Arabia - Emergence, Development and Perceptions. Thesis submitted to Institute of Education University of London for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
  13. Khodr, H. (2012). The Specialized Cities of the Gulf Cooperation Council: A Case Study of a Distinct Type of Policy Innovation and Diffusion. Digest of Middle East Studies, 21 (1), 149–177
  14. Kirk, D. (January 2015). Innovate or Replicate? Education Reform Initiatives in the Gulf Cooperation Council States. The Muslim World, 105, 78-92 DOI: 10.1111/muwo.12081
  15. Knight, J. (1999). Internationalisation of higher education. In Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (Ed.), Quality and internationalisation in higher education. Paris: OECD. 
  16. Knight, J. and Morshidi, S. (2011). The complexities and challenges of regional education hubs: focus on Malaysia. Higher Education, 62, p. 593-606
  17. Madichie, O. and Kolo, J. (2013). An exploratory enquiry into the internationalization of higher education in the United Arab Emirates. The Marketing Review, 13 (1), 83-99
  18. Marginson, S. (2016). High Participation Systems of Higher Education. The Journal of Higher Education, 87 (2), 243-271
  19. Mazi, A. and Altbach P.G. (2013). Dreams & Realities: The World-Class Idea and Saudi Arabian Higher Education. In Smith, L. and Abouammoh, A. (Eds.), Higher Education in Saudi Arabia: Achievements, Challenges and Opportunities. Dordrecht: Springer Science, p. 13- 26
  20. Mansheng, Z (2009). Education Imports and Exports in the Framework of the World Trade Organization and Adjustments of Education Legislation and Policy Making in China. Chinese Education and Society, 42 (4), p. 41–53
  21. Ministry of Development, Planning and Statistics (2014). Chapter IV Education Statistics. http://www.gsdp.gov.qa/portal/page/portal/gsdp_en/knowledge_center/Tab2/4 _Education_2014_edu.pdf
  22. Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (2014). The UAE Higher Education Fact Book. http://www.mohesr.gov.ae/En/ServicesIndex/Documents/UAE-factbook24Feb-en-Dversion .pdf
  23. Onsman, A. (November, 2010). Dismantling the perceived barriers to the implementation of national higher education accreditation guidelines in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 32 (5), P. 511–519
  24. Quality Assurance Agency for higher Education (June 2014). Review of UK Transnational Education in United Arab Emirates: Overview.
  25.  http://www.qaa.ac.uk/en/Publications/Documents/Review-Transnational-Education-UAE-14.pdf
  26. Romani, V. (May 2009). The Politics if Higher Education in the Middle East: Problems and Prospect. Middle East Brief, 36, 1-8.
  27.  http://www.brandeis.edu/crown/publications/meb/MEB36. pdf
  28. Ross, J. and Trevor-Roper, S. (February 2015). The case for National Program Accreditation in the Sultanate of Oman. OQNHE Conference, Muscat, Quality Management & Enhancement in Higher Education. 
  29. http://www.oaaa.gov.om/Conference/OQNHE%20Paper%20from%20J%20 Ross%20and%20S%20Trevor-Roper%20FINALISED_ PDF%20Version.pdf
  30. Rouis, M., Al-Abdulrazzaq, A. and Carey, K. (October 2010). Economic Integration in the GCC. New York: The World Bank.
  31.  http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTMENA/Resources/GCCStudyweb.pdf
  32. Smith, L. and Abouammoh, A. (2013). Higher Education in Saudi Arabia: Achievements, Challenges and Opportunities. Dordrecht: Springer Science
  33. The International Monetary Fund (2011). Gulf Cooperation Council Countries: Enhancing Economic Outcomes in an uncertain Global Economy. https://www.imf.org/external/ pubs/ft/dp/2011/1101mcd.pdf
  34. Tilak, J. (2008). Higher education: a public good or a commodity for trade? Commitment to higher education or commitment of higher education to trade. Prospects, 38, p. 449–466
  35. UNESCO Institute of Statistics (2012). http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/Pages/ international-student-flow-viz.aspx
  36. Verger, A. (2009). The Merchants of Education: Global Politics and the Uneven Education Liberalization Process within the WTO. Comparative Education Review, 53 (3), p. 379-401
  37. Wagie, D. and Fox, W. (2006). Transforming Higher Education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). International Journal of Learning, 12 (7), 277-286
  38. Weber, A. S. (2015). Revolution in Arabian Gulf Education. In Bakić-Mirić, N and Gaipov, D. E. (eds.). Current trends and Issues in Higher Education. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Newcastle: UK, p.141-156
  39. Wilkins, S. (2010). Higher education in the United Arab Emirates: an analysis of the outcomes of significant increases in supply and competition. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 32 (4), 389–400
  40. Wiseman, A. W., and Al-bakr, F. (2013). The elusiveness of teacher quality: A comparative analysis of teacher certification and student achievement in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Prospects 43, 289–309. DOI 10.1007/s11125-013-9272-z