The Politics of Educational Change in the Middle East and North Africa

Samier, Eugenie A.

doi:10.1002/9781119082316.ch9

Cited by 2 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Owing to the discovery of oil in the UAE in the 1950s and the 1960s, rapid development has taken place. Today, Samier (2018) categorizes the UAE as "[one of] those countries undergoing rapid modernization and multiculturalism that are relatively stable, in which nation-building is well under way" (p. 18). Following a Western model, government leaders in the UAE have adopted a platform of neoliberalism in social services, including adopting neoliberal reform policies in public education (Mullen, Samier, Brindley, English, & Carr, 2012).…”

Section: Uae Efforts Toward Educational Improvement: History and Poli...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Following a Western model, government leaders in the UAE have adopted a platform of neoliberalism in social services, including adopting neoliberal reform policies in public education (Mullen, Samier, Brindley, English, & Carr, 2012). In recent years, national spending on education in the Middle East has been highest in the UAE, at 27% of the total annual spending (Samier, 2018). Not only does higher education in the UAE has a significant level of government support, but evidence of that support is also "tangible" (Chapman et al, 2014, p. 132).…”

Section: Uae Efforts Toward Educational Improvement: History and Poli...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further complicating the context of neoliberal educational reforms in the UAE are large-scale waves of migration from Western countries for employment opportunities, Eastern European migration due to perceived life improvements, and Arab expatriates who have either moved for employment or as expatriates with residency visas. This has produced a massive cross-cultural complexity (and plurality) that has led to polarization, conflicts, and tensions over ideas and practices about how educational organizations and systems should be structured, administered, and function (Samier, 2018).…”

Section: Colonization and Current Educational Reformsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The UAE has high unemployment rates among Emiratis; thus, women, who are at a disadvantage, must compete with men for jobs that are becoming increasingly scarce. As such, female students are often less valued in education institutions in the Middle East and are less prioritized (Samier, 2018).…”

Section: Inequalities In Access and Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since gaining statehood in 1971, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has invested considerable portions of its GDP to neoliberal education reforms (Litz & Blaik Hourani, 2016Samier, 2018). However, progress in meeting educational goals and achievements compared to other countries with similar investments continues to lag (Al Ahbabi, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Incongruencies and Detrimental Effects of Neoliberal Education Reform in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Litz,

Blaik

2023

IJLL

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Charged with postcolonial educational planning and development activities over the last 50-70 years, the context and content of educational planning and policymaking have evolved considerably in most Arab countries. The methodologies of planning and policymaking have also changed to match changing milieus and national priorities. Despite some accomplishments, many have amassed a record of educational policy and reform undertakings that have been less successful. Moreover, many Arab countries have been shown to continually lag behind other regions with similar levels of development, such as Latin America and South Asia. However, a few regional countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have taken a leading role in educational change initiatives in the implementation of globalized neoliberal reforms. More precisely, they have promoted bilingual (English/Arabic) and imported curricula, the modernization of school systems, privatization, standardization, accountability, school choice, and assessment reform. This study examined the implementation of recent UAE neoliberal reforms utilizing a framework derived from postmodern (neo)institutional analysis. This study argues that many policy undertakings have included contradictions and harmful impacts impeding the achievement of intended goals. Furthermore, educational policymaking has been caught between global and centralized national prescriptions for education and its role in society and unique contextual demands, which have created administrative challenges, dissatisfaction, and public resentment.

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Section: Uae Efforts Toward Educational Improvement: History and Poli...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Uae Efforts Toward Educational Improvement: History and Poli...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Colonization and Current Educational Reformsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Inequalities In Access and Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Incongruencies and Detrimental Effects of Neoliberal Education Reform in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Litz,

Blaik

2023

IJLL

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Palestinian Muslim College Students’ Attitudes to Mental Health Treatment: A Comparative Study

Abu-Ras

Birani

Suárez

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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This study examined the association between the degree of religiosity, combined with cultural beliefs, social stigmas, and attitudes towards mental-health treatment in two groups, who, despite having similar cultural and religious affiliation, have experienced different socio-political contexts: Palestinian Muslim college students living in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) and Israel. The study was guided by Tanhan and Young’s (2021) conceptual framework. Methods: A snowball recruitment strategy was applied, using a cross-sectional survey. A total sample size was 214 students, 105 from the OPT and 109 from Israel. Results indicate that students from the OPT (n = 105) did not differ from those living in Israel (n = 109) on religiosity using the Islamic Belief scale, or Attitudes Towards Mental Health treatment (F(1, 189) = 1.07, p = 0.30). However, students from the OPT had higher confidence in mental-health professionals (M = 15.33) than their counterparts (M = 14.59), and women had higher confidence (M = 16.03) than men (M = 13.90). The reliance on traditions for Muslim students over Western mental-health approaches is a critical factor in predicting the attitudes towards students’ mental problems and their chosen treatment. Sociopolitical context played a significant role in shaping attitudes toward mental-health providers.

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The Politics of Educational Change in the Middle East and North Africa

Cited by 2 publications

References 45 publications

Incongruencies and Detrimental Effects of Neoliberal Education Reform in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Incongruencies and Detrimental Effects of Neoliberal Education Reform in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Palestinian Muslim College Students’ Attitudes to Mental Health Treatment: A Comparative Study

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