Knowledge-Based Economy and the Education System in the Gulf: Reflections from Reform Legacies in Qatar

Abstract

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have adopted the vision of diversifying their economies away from oil and gas toward more knowledge-based economies (KBEs). Through investments and policy changes in the education, innovation, and entrepreneurship fields, the GCC states aim to leapfrog into the rank of rich countries that largely rely on human capital for economic growth. Within this push toward KBE, education system reforms through decentralization and the promotion of job-market-related qualifications are seen as vital for improving the necessary innovation and entrepreneurship capacities. These reforms have often delivered mixed results in terms of both global standing in quantitative rankings and attainments in education and innovation. By analysing the educational reform legacies in Qatar, this paper aims to provide an inside view of the indigenous challenges related to educational policy change. It offers a unique narrative on the challenges associated with culture, capacity, and institutions over different historical periods of the educational reforms in Qatar. As such, it illustrates the limitations of education-based reforms and the importance of addressing local understandings of the role of education. Qatar’s educational reform legacies reflect an instrumental understanding of the contribution of education toward KBE that underestimates the importance of the aspects of culture and local capacities. Due to controversies and politicization, school-based reforms have been less stable in comparison to higher education reforms. Understanding country-specific historical and cultural education legacies can help in the design of more tailored and participatory reform policies.