Front Matter

The PISA performance gap between national and expatriate students in the United Arab Emirates

“…Recent scores show that a child born today in the UAE will only reach 67% of their health, learning, and productivity potential. Given the UAE’s high GDP, more emphasis on value for money in education spending must be prioritized (El-Saharty et al, 2020). Public schools must reform if the UAE is to meet its labour market needs as the private sector cannot continue to compensate for public institutional shortfalls (Bhayani, 2014; Rutter and Dedousis, 2016).…”

Conceptualizing Graduates Attributes (GAs) in English Language Teacher Education Programs in Oman During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Due to this shift and the increasing demand from employers for highly-skilled labor, the GCC countries have prioritized training and education. It is worth mentioning that the GCC countries were among the first to join the World Bank’s Human Capital Project, which aims to promote human capital investments through education, training, and health, all of which are critical components for successful individuals, employment, and society (El-Saharty et al, 2020; Matu & Paik, 2021). The need to strengthen HEIs’ roles in promoting the development of skills that are relevant to today’s labor market and social situations to meet the labor market expectations is a consistent theme in GCC higher education literature (Al Hinai et al, 2020; Al-Mahrooqi & Denman, 2018; Belwal et al, 2017; El-Saharty et al, 2020; Matu & Paik, 2021).…”

“…It is worth mentioning that the GCC countries were among the first to join the World Bank’s Human Capital Project, which aims to promote human capital investments through education, training, and health, all of which are critical components for successful individuals, employment, and society (El-Saharty et al, 2020; Matu & Paik, 2021). The need to strengthen HEIs’ roles in promoting the development of skills that are relevant to today’s labor market and social situations to meet the labor market expectations is a consistent theme in GCC higher education literature (Al Hinai et al, 2020; Al-Mahrooqi & Denman, 2018; Belwal et al, 2017; El-Saharty et al, 2020; Matu & Paik, 2021). Although the GCC region has experienced significant growth in higher education, particularly in terms of providing the labor market with competent and work-ready graduates, employers’ concerns about the quality and readiness of higher education graduates to enter the workforce is still a key issue in the region (Belwal et al, 2017; Gupta et al, 2020; Matu & Paik, 2021).…”

“…The focus on education policies and curriculum studies has shifted from the content of education to its outcome; as a result, the students have become a college’s product (El-Saharty et al, 2020; Mansingh & Reddy, 2021; Matu & Paik, 2021; Scott & Willison, 2021). Consequently, institutions are now practically mandated by quality assurance authorities to fine-tune their processes and operations (the means) in light of their desired output (the end), which is none other than their graduates (Scott & Willison, 2021).…”

“…Furthermore, many researchers have consistently reported on the lack of adequate English language proficiency among Omani graduates (e.g., Al-Issa, 2007, 2014; AL-Lamki, 2009; Al-Mahrooqi & Denman, 2016; Alrawas, 2014). The literature suggests that one of the key challenges impacting graduates’ employment in Oman and other Gulf regional nations is the skills gap between graduates and occupational requirements (Al Hinai et al, 2020; El-Saharty et al, 2020; Matu & Paik, 2021). In Oman, researchers have attributed the high unemployment rate among individuals under the age of 30 to the graduates’ skills gap (Al Hinai et al, 2020; Al-Mahrooqi & Denman, 2018; Belwal et al, 2017).…”