Table Of ContentHigher Education Revolutions in
the Gulf
Over the past quarter century, the people of the Arabian Peninsula have wit-
nessed a revolutionary transformation in higher education. In 1990, there were
fewer than ten public universities that offered their Arabic- language curricula in
sex- segregated settings to national citizens only. In 2015, there are hundreds of
public, semi-p ublic and private colleges and universities. Most of these institu-
tions are open to expatriates and national citizens; a few offer gender- integrated
instruction; and the language of instruction is much more likely to be in English
than Arabic.
Higher Education Revolutions in the Gulf explores the reasons behind this
dramatic growth. It examines the causes of the sharp shift in educational prac-
tices and analyses how these new systems of higher education are regulated,
evaluating the extent to which the new universities and colleges are improving
quality. Questioning whether these educational changes can be sustained, the
book explores how the new curricula and language policies are aligned with offi-
cial visions of the future. Written by leading scholars in the field, it draws upon
their considerable experiences of teaching and doing research in the Arabian
Gulf, as well as their different disciplinary backgrounds (linguistics and eco-
nomics), to provide a holistic and historically informed account of the emer-
gence and viability of the Arabian Peninsula’s higher education revolutions.
Offering a comprehensive, critical assessment of education in the Gulf Arab
states, this book represents a significant contribution to the field and will be of
interest to students and scholars of Middle East and Gulf Studies, and essential
for those focused on higher education.
Fatima Badry is Professor of Linguistics in the Department of English at the
American University of Sharjah in the UAE. Her research interests include lan-
guage acquisition, bilingualism, education policy and globalization and the
impact of global English on Arab identity.
John Willoughby is Professor of Economics at American University. After
teaching at the American University of Sharjah, he has devoted his time to
studying labor migration and educational issues in the GCC.
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Higher Education Revolutions
in the Gulf
Globalization and institutional viability
Fatima Badry and John Willoughby
First published 2016
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2016 Fatima Badry and John Willoughby
The right of Fatima Badry and John Willoughby to be identified as authors
of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with sections 77 and
78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation
without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-i n-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-i n-Publication Data
Badry, Fatima.
Higher education revolutions in the Gulf : globalization and institutional
viability / Fatima Badry and John Willoughby.
pages cm. – (Routledge advances in Middle East and Islamic studies ; 24)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Education, Higher–Persian Gulf Region. 2. Educational change–
Persian Gulf Region. 3. Education and globalization–Persian Gulf
Region.
4. Gulf Cooperation Council. I. Willoughby, John, 1949– II. Title.
LA1431.4.B34 2015
378.536–dc23 2015010477
ISBN: 978-0-415-50565-9 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-203-79613-9 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Wearset Ltd, Boldon, Tyne and Wear
Contents
List of tables viii
Preface x
Acknowledgments xv
List of abbreviations xvii
1 Introduction: the political and socio-e conomic emergence of the
Arabian Gulf 1
2 The global expansion of higher education: alternative
perspectives 12
3 Globalization of education and the GCC 28
4 The multi-m odel approach to privatization: questions of
sustainability 54
5 GCC public universities: growing pains 97
6 Assessing quality: adopting Western standards of accreditation 134
7 Reforming higher education in Saudi Arabia: reasons for
optimism 153
AMANI K. HAMDAN
8 Arabic in higher education: questions of national identity and
pragmatism 179
9 Higher education revolutions: short-t erm success versus
long- term viability? 204
Index 228
Tables
1.1 Economic indicators of the GCC (2010) 2
1.2 GCC demographic composition 3
1.3 Changes in the rate of adolescent pregnancy (number of births
to women ages 15–19 per 1,000 women ages 15–19) 6
1.4 Educational attainment in the GCC: expected years of
schooling 7
2.1 Share of students in tertiary education by region (1970–2007) 13
2.2 Share of students in tertiary education by income status of
country 13
2.3 Gross enrollment rates in tertiary education 14
3.1 Categorizing cross-b order collaboration 32
3.2 Members of the Association of American International
Colleges and Universities 35
3.3 Enrollment in tertiary educational institutions in the Gulf 44
3.4 Inbound and outbound mobility rates of GCC tertiary students 46
3.5 Top five destinations of outward bound student from the Gulf
(2012) 47
3.6 Top five home countries of inward bound students to the Gulf
(2012) 48
3.7 Regional origin of inbound tertiary education students in the
small GCC states (2012) 48
4.1 Classification of the private universities in the GCC 56
4.2 List of private higher education institutions in Doha, Qatar 59
4.3a Dubai’s colleges and universities 66
4.3b Dubai’s HEIs outside the free zones 69
4.4 Private universities and colleges in the Sultanate of Oman 72
4.5 Private higher education institutions of Bahrain (2000–6) 76
4.6 Private institutions in Kuwait (2002–8) 78
4.7 Private universities in the Northern Emirate 83
4.8 The branch and private universities in the Emirate of Abu
Dhabi (UAE) 84
5.1 The first state universities in the Gulf 98
5.2 Degree programs in Kuwait’s public HEIs 100
Tables ix
5.3 Qatar University 101
5.4 The UAE federal public universities 103
5.5 Abu Dhabi’s public, non-f ederal HEI 106
5.6 Colleges in the public institutions in Oman 108
5.7 Oman’s higher education governing bodies 109
5.8 Bahrain public HEIs 110
5.9 Scientific and technological capacities in world regions
(percentage of world total, 1995) 123
5.10 Global Competitiveness rankings (2012–13) 124
5.11 Public expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP 124
5.12 Comparative analysis of perceived significance versus
satisfaction 126
5.13 Main research centers in the GCC 128
6.1 Government higher education accreditation and assessment
agencies: IQAAHE members 138
6.2 ABET accreditation of engineering, computer science and
information systems programs in the GCC 139
6.3 Gulf institutions with AACSB accreditation 140
7.1 Growth of universities in KSA (2005–14) 157
7.2 Growth of colleges in KSA (2005–14) 157
7.3 Public universities in KSA 158
7.4 Private universities in KSA 159
7.5 Private colleges in KSA 160
