The role of education in knowledge economies in developing countries

Abstract

Education and universities, along with biotechnology, intellectual property and ICT development, are often mentioned without in-depth critical analysis in discussions of modern knowledge economies. In the face of global marketplaces and the fluidity of intellectual capital, the idea of the role of primary, secondary and tertiary education will necessarily be refashioned in developing nations. Western concepts such as liberal studies and the idea of education as the preparation for good citizenship, self-discovery, and self-fulfillment are being re-examined in light of national education priorities. Drawing on the author's experience with a knowledge economy educational project in the Arabian Gulf-Qatar Foundation's Education City-this contribution speculates on the current and future role of education within the context of the knowledge economies of MENA and the Arabian Gulf. Education in the Arabian Gulf (GCC states) has been developing since the early 1990s to fulfill several very specific roles: ending illiteracy, diversification of hydrocarbon-based economies, and preservation of cultural integrity.