MENA Region taking modern education in its stride

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March 8, 2017

In the past few decades, the Middle East and North Africa Region (MENA) has made a signifi cant improvement in the fi eld of formal education. Governments across the region have invested heavily in the education sector and over the past 25 years witnessed a rapid expansion in primary, secondary and tertiary education. Despite all the development in the education space, the region has a lot of scope to grow in terms of bridging the gap between skill development and job market, writes Rashi Aditi Ghosh to Elets News Network (ENN).

The MENA region has made great strides in the education sector, quadrupling the average level of schooling since 1960, halving illiteracy levels since 1980 and achieving almost complete gender parity in primary education.

A study by Unicef paints a very positive picture of MENA countries in terms of achieving the goal of universal primary education.

Enrollment in the region’s school systems has increased significantly over the past decade to the point where universal primary education has been achieved for girls and boys in most of the MENA countries.

Interestingly, unlike the rest of the world, there is a ‘reverse’ gender gap in the region with girls outperforming boys in Grade 4 math results, a trend that generally continues into Grade 8.

Also, MENA governments have shown strong commitment to funding public education. The average public investment in education across the region as a percentage of GDP is above 5.3 per cent.

OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES IN SCHOOL SECTOR
Studies demonstrate that the school systems in MENA offer lot of scope for improvement in terms of quality of education. The region exhibits a mismatch between the current level of school education and the per capita income.

In addition, gross profit margin in the education sector is on the higher side, varying 30-60 per cent. Pre-school and higher education categories generate gross margins of 55-60 per cent. Accordingly, operating profit margins are high in pre-school category (up to 40 per cent)

According to a 2014 report by Booz and Co., the number of private schools in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is set to double before 2020, reaching as much as 4 million schools, to accommodate the growing population in the GCC, mainly driven by the increased demand created by Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

As a result of this, parents seeking higher quality education for their wards are expected to double, reaching as much as $20 billion in 2020, versus what parents spent on their children’s education in 2010.

However, one of the key challenges faced while establishing quality schools in some countries such as UAE is the high funding requirement. Typical cost of developing a school with a capacity of 1,800–2,000 students could range between GBP 47 million and GBP 60 million, provided that the land is purchased upfront. In cases where land is leased, such development cost for a quality school could range between GBP 35 million to GBP 42 million (exclusive of fi nance costs).

Education investments are typically long term investments contradicting a bank’s risk appetite which typically extends to a tenure that lasts between 5-7 years.

One of the major challenges facing operators is the ability to attract and retain quality staff to deliver on the promise of quality educational services. Operators desperate to recruit appropriately qualified staff have prompted a trend of poaching teachers and management staff from competitors.

SCOPE IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Demographic projections reveal that the region’s youth population (up to 24 years old) will surge by about 10 million between 2015 and 2030. This sudden growth in the youth population will create increased demand for educational services at all levels and will place immense pressure on existing educational institutions.

The proportion of tertiary education students is expected to rise from 11 per cent to 15 per cent over the period to 2020, according to Unicef.

The region also reflects a requirement of maintaining the balance between skill development and the job market. Various global studies have indicated the inadequacy in terms of labour force skills, both technical and soft.

According to Bayt.com Middle East Skills Gap Survey – May 2016, employers in the MENA region fi nd it challenging to hire the candidates with the required skills.

PRIVATE EDUCATION SECTOR IN MENA REGION
Education, as a social infrastructure sector, is now seen as a legitimate asset class in its own right, presenting great opportunities for private players in the MENA region. Coupled with high returns on education sector investments, an efficient private school can have around 20 per cent net profit margins.

As the number of expats, primarily educated in the Private sector is expected to grow, the demand of Private education will also see a rise simultaneously keeping the demand of local population in mind.

Enrollment in private education institutes at the primary and secondary level is predicted to grow from 1.3 million students to 1.9 million in 2020. As per a report by Alpen Capital, by 2020 6,200 additional schools will be required in the region to meet the growing demand, while an extra 163,208 teachers will be needed to teach the increasing number of students.

There is strong interest in the education market in the MENA region. This can be attributed to the factors such as long-term revenue visibility (due to the duration of a course), negative working capital (since school/course fee is paid in advance), underserved market (demand greater than supply) and government support. The education sector is recession proof, i.e., it is less sensitive to economic cycles, a major draw after the recent economic crisis.

Another opportunity for the private sector stems from the government provision of schooling that tends to be mostly in Arabic and is of low quality.

MENA EDUCATION MARKET (PRIVATE AND PUBLIC) – BY COUNTRY

Government spends in education sector – MENA region

On an average, the MENA region is expected to experience a recurring spend of $29 billion on education over the next couple of years, with Saudi Arabia being the leader as it continues to invest more money in building committed infrastructure in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

The government spends on education in a substantial manner in MENA, with contribution from the private sector being miniscule.

Such public expenditure helps in attracting pupil as well as teachers intending to be employed.

Data from the World Bank suggests that public expenditure ture on education in the MENA stands at 19 per cent compared to the world average of 14.5 per cent, North America with an average of 14.1 per cent and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) with an average of 11.6 per cent. Among MENA nations, public spending on education receives high priority, particularly in Oman, Morocco, the UAE, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.

PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP IN EDUCATION SECTOR
Due to large disparities in income and population, the rationale for purchasing power parity (PPP) in the GCC and other Arab countries is also very different. For the GCC the rationale for PPP is varied; the private sector is able to deliver projects with greater alacrity than the government, there is greater operational efficiency and quality improvement for education services provided, and, as a potential adjacent benefit, there can be a diversification of local stock markets through the offering of PPP funds through local bourses.

For other Arab countries, the main drive is to bring in much-needed funding not available to those governments who suffer from a lack of resources. In both cases, governments, particularly those brought to power by the recent Arab Spring, understand that the provision of quality social infrastructure is a key demand from the populous.

However, the PPP model within MENA is still in its infancy, and there are a number of factors that contribute to the slow growth of PPP projects in the region. These include poor legal framework and enforcement, weak institutional capacity and PPP strategies, unrealistic revenue and cost estimations (indicating a paucity of proper fi nancial and economic analysis), inappropriate sharing of risks, lack of a competitive procurement process, and public resistance to perceived pay subsidy removal as government jobs are co-opted by the private sector service providers.

Fresh Vision to Help Education Sector Scale New Heights

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digitalLEARNING Network

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March 8, 2017

Dr Ravi Gupta, Editior-in-Chief, Digital Learning Magazine and CEO, Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd

Education is as much about imparting knowledge as it is about the right vision and innovative approach to achieve desired results. Digital Learning Magazine’s World Education Summit (WES) 2017 Bahrain special issue recognises that the global education ecosystem is doing well to embrace the change to transform itself.

To be inaugurated by HE Dr Majid Bin Ali Al-Nuaimi, Minister of Education, Kingdom of Bahrain, on March 8, WES 2017 will bring together 46 speakers and over 200 delegates and experts from as many as 12 countries – Bahrain, Dubai, Malaysia, UK, United States, Palestine, Vietnam, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Bangladesh – to deliberate on crucial issues and share their unique experiences in the education space.

Organised under the patronage of Ministry of Education, Kingdom of Bahrain, the WES platform will also see participation from Senior Government officials from Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dubai and Malaysia, besides captains from the corporate world, serving as an interface between policy makers and the industry. An education expo will be held concurrently with the two-day mega event showcasing innovative programmes and technologies that are pivotal to transform the global education landscape.

Our Cover Story ‘MENA Region Taking Modern Education in Its Stride’ attempts to find out that how countries in the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa) have understood the significance of education and are investing exponentially in improving the entire spectrum of education ecosystem comprising schools, colleges and universities. The special interview with Dr May Al Otaibi, Chairman, Bahrain Bayan School, in this issue of Digital Learning offers useful insights into the exemplary methods practiced by the school to impart modern and holistic education in Bahrain. Having developed unique ways of teaching students, the school can be a role model for other schools across the region and the globe.

Our special feature ‘Fostering Quality Education to Drive Excellence’ explores Bahrain’s evolving education sector that combines a unique vision, revolutionary reforms and other essential elements to ensure that innovation, leadership and right human values are inculcated among the students.

Recognising the significance of innovations and entrepreneurial spirit in the education space, WES Bahrain-2017 has time and again recognised and honoured outstanding achievers. This edition too will see top entrepreneurs in education sector, innovators in the areas of teaching pedgogy, superior administrative and management practices, vocational education and training and assistive technologies in education, among others, receiving awards in various categories. A team of experts evaluated and identified the awardees after benchmarking them against the best in the world.

Looking forward to receiving our readers’ valuable feedback.

Bayan Shaping the Edifice of Bahrain’s Future

Interviews

By

Akash

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March 8, 2017

As the flag bearer of modern and holistic education in the Middle East, the Bahrain Bayan School has developed an exemplary model of teaching that can be emulated by schools across the region and the globe. Deeply rooted in cultural values, the school aims to develop citizens of tomorrow who are receptive to other cultures and at the same time, mindful of their country’s needs, says Dr May Al Otaibi, Chairperson, Bahrain Bayan School, in conversation with Dr Ravi Gupta of Elets News Network (ENN).

What prompted the opening of this school and what vision was set for it?

With the exception of government-run schools, before Bayan School was established there was only one missionary school that focused on teaching Arabic in Bahrain. It had a totally different curriculum that was based on a densely classical teaching style. My daughter found it too difficult to cope with the strict system the school had in place. It was then that a friend and I decided to open a preschool that would provide a strong foundation for children to do well in their future education. The pre-school proved to be a grand success, which motivated us to scale up and offer nursery, nursery 1, KG 1, and KG 2 classes. Soon after, we received many requests urging us to open a fully fl edged school where a new grade level would be added every year. My BA degree in Education from the American University of Beirut helped a lot in this endeavor. As a result, what began as a small initiative to ensure educational prosperity for our children has resulted in 34 years of excellent education. For the past five years, The Bahrain Bayan School has achieved Number 1 status in the country and we hope to continue this progress and achievement for years to come.

How is Bayan School different from other private schools in Bahrain?

Bayan is a non-profit school run by a board of directors and trustee. At the time it was established, there were no private schools to be found in Bahrain so the late Amir granted us, as well as another school, land and extended a loan of one million dinar to construct the campus, under the condition that it was to be run as a non-profit school. We were initially working with the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs but in 1995 we began operating under the Ministry of Education. Currently, there are only two private schools in Bahrain that are non-profit.

How has the teaching method in the school evolved from traditional to modern over the last 34 years?

We started our operations in 1982 and since the very beginning, the medium of instruction in the school has been bilingual – English and Arabic. When we expanded our classes beyond the sixth grade, there was more of a focus on English, however now there is no first or second language. Both languages enjoy equal treatment in the curriculum. Our students are taught to be well-versed in English as well as Arabic. Initially, we worked with external schools to adopt their programmes and customize them according to our culture. Presently, we are always on the hunt for innovative programmes to further enrich our students’ lives. Five years ago, we adopted a very effective American program called Aero. We also adopt Arabic programmes from government-run schools. Our teachers regularly participate in personal development workshops and training programmes to update and increase their skills. We bring in Quality Assurance professionals to train them in a wide variety of subjects. This year, we initiated a directorate of Quality Assurance in the school. We are also working on a career development programme to assist our students in understanding the key career requirements needed in Bahrain. We have observed that most Arab students pursue careers in finance, business and to a lesser extent, medical. However, Bahrain lacks engineering professionals in sectors such as Information Technology. We have decided that we will have mentors, comprised mostly of Bayan graduates, who will provide mentoring to the students in the area of career building.

How do you manage students of varying level of abilities – weak, average and brilliant ones?

Unlike other schools, we do not segregate students into A, B or C sections. We try to improve students’ standards as per their learning speed. We emphasize this issue on our teachers with the help of our Quality Assurance team. Nowadays there is lot of focus on the holistic development of a child.

How much emphasis do you put on it?

We put a lot of emphasis on holistic development and the development of differentiated programmes . Besides drama and physical education, our students also participate in various tournaments and competitions held in schools across the country. We also participate in global-level competitions outside Bahrain. We also have programmes that teach students how to do business in Bahrain so that they’ll have a useful introduction to the workforce. Physical education is also very important to us and we organize many different activities for that.

What is the new vision you have for the school’s betterment?

I have always considered Bayan as a Bahraini community instead of a school. We teach our students how to use cultural values to deal with Bahraini society and be respectful. I feel education should integrate everything we need to teach our kids. Through our career development programme, we strive to bridge the gap in the employment sector so that we don’t have to rely on people from outside the country to do the jobs that we are capable of doing ourselves. We are also very proud of the unique relationship we have with our parents. For example, we have an insurance plan that costs less than 100 dollars a year. In the somber case of a parent has passing away, or unable to pay the fees of their ward, the bills are covered by the insurance company. We have also developed something called ‘Bayan on Call’ to ensure the safety of our students. We have appointed dieticians to take care of diabetic or obese children, and have recently employed a school doctor. We even train our parents to take care of their child’s special needs during stressful exam times. We have even set aside one day when we host the grandparents of our kids.

You put your personal passion into running the school. It is not as a business but a passion which keeps you going on. Isn’t it?

Yes exactly. We are developing the school as a base to instill values that a Bahraini citizen should have. It’s a combination of passion and motherly approach that we follow religiously. The board of Bayan School also shares the same passion. They work as volunteers without taking any money for their services, because they are invested in the school and its impact on Bahraini society.

Since young people are so exposed to Western culture, how do you educate them about Bahraini culture?

There is something special about Bayan students. They are known for their exemplary behaviour and openness to all cultures. We have set rules to ensure discipline among students and have a specially appointed Behavior Manager to look into disciplinary issues. We are not harsh on them and always go by the rules. For example, to deal with the issue of bullying we do not punish the bully, but try to strengthen the other student being bullied to help him prepare for the world outside the campus.

IISc ranked 8th among 20 best small universities

By

Akash

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March 8, 2017

Indian Institute of Science (IISc) is featured among the World’s Top 20 Small Universities Ranking. In the second edition of Times Higher Education Ranking, India’s one of the best higher educational institutes is featured at the eighth spot.

The other two institutes in top 20 ranking are IIT-Guwahati and Savitribai Phule Pune University ranked 14^th and 18^th respectively in the rankings.

Small universities appeared in Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings 2016-17, must teach at least four subjects and have less than 5,000 students.

California Institute of Technology of the US is at the top spot in the rankings. In top 10 small universities, French and Italian universities have taken three places each.

The three French universities in the top 10 are École Normale Supérieure (ranked second), École Polytechnique (fourth) and École Normale Supérieure de Lyon (seventh). The three italian universities in top 10 are Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa (fifth), Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (sixth) and Free University of BozenBolzano (tenth).

Other universities in top 10 ranking are South Korea’s Pohang University of Science and Technology came placed at third position and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences is at ninth position.

“The Best Small Universities in the World for 2017 highlights the small universities that provide high student satisfaction and good working relationships between students and their professors. Many students are drawn to smaller class sizes, higher teacher to student ratios and the community-like feel that a small university can provide,” said Seeta Bhardwa, student editor at Times Higher Education.

Poor learning outcomes may attract actions against schools

By

Akash

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March 8, 2017

If a school fails to help its students in achieving the specified learning outcomes, it may attract court cases or government action, latest amendments in rules under the Right to Education directed.

To include provision for the preparation of class-wise learning outcomes, the Central Government has amended the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Rules, 2010, informed a gazette notification issued by the Ministry of Human Resource and Development (MHRD).

Learning outcomes are the standards which help teachers to assess the learning levels of students individually and collectively as per their respective classes.

According to the notification, all the states, except for Jammu and Kashmir, have been asked to prepare “class-wise, subject-wise learning outcomes for all elementary classes”, according to the notification.

According to the notification, the states are also directed for putting into continuous and comprehensive practice for evaluating the defined learning outcomes are achieved by the school or not.

The notification further revealed that it is mandatory for every school to achieve the minimum learning outcome by the end of every academic year.

An exhaustive list of learning outcome indicators for classes I-VIII has been put in public domain in January for feedback for English, Hindi, Urdu, Science, Mathematics and Social Sciences subjects by National Council for Education Research and Training (NCERT). “The states will be asked to prepare guidelines to put into practice continuous and comprehensive evaluation to achieve the defined learning outcomes for classes I-VIII before the 2017-2018 academic session begins,” the official said.

IIT Delhi in partnership with Samsung established an IoT lab

By

Akash

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March 8, 2017

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi and Samsung have established an Internet of Things (IoT) lab in the campus of the institute. The lab was conceptualised in June last year and for the same, IIT had signed an MOU with Samsung in August 2016.

According to a release issued by IIT Delhi, Samsung has provided the devices for the lab.

“The innovative platform was an apt representation of the institute’s thrust on cutting edge research with industry collaboration,” IIT Delhi director Ramgopal Rao said.

According to Professor Brejesh Lall, incharge of the lab, research on sensor data processing, network architecture and embedded intelligence will be carried out in the lab.

Currently, 15 scholars are working in the lab including 5 doctoral students and the institute is also planning to expand the lab.”As the activity grows the surrounding space of about 800 sq ft will be combined to make a lab that can cater to about 30 researchers. With time as we get more funds and more projects, the lab will grow exponentially,” Lall added.

The internet of things is the internetworking of physical and smart devices for advanced connectivity that goes beyond machine to machine connectivity.

IoT is the interconnection of computing devices embedded in everyday objects via internet of, which enable the devices to send and receive data.

Committee constituted by Telangana Government to improve school education

News

By

Akash

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March 8, 2017

Telangana government has constituted a state-level steering committee to boost interest among children for science, mathematics and technology. The committee will implement various activities under the Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan (RAA).

Ranjeev Acharya, special chief secretary (education) will monitor and steer the work and activities under RAA as the chairman of the committee, according to a government order released in this regard.

“The formation of the state-level steering committee of Telangana Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan to guide and maximize the outreach and impact of the Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan (RAA) and monitor, coordinate and converge with all the stakeholders for conducting different activities,” says the government order.

The committee will be responsible for mobilising funds through convergence and synergy in the state. Moreover, the objectives of the Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan such as school mentoring, attracting talent, promoting teacher circles, promotion of student science clubs, resource material development etc will also be carried out by the committee. The funds for accomplishing all the objectives will be allocated under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and also collaborative initiatives with Ministry of Science and Technology and Department of Higher Education.

The government order further stated that to promote science and maths, officials from Jana Vignana Vedika and Telangana State Academy of Sciences at Osmania University will be part of the committee. Whereas, National Institute of Technology (NIT)-Warangal, University of Hyderabad and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Sangareddy will act as mentoring institutions for RAA.

IIM Calcutta’s placement process ends with top salary of Rs 86.9 lakh

News

By

Akash

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March 6, 2017

IIM Calcutta has completed final placements for the PGDM batch of 2017 with the highest international package of Rs 86.9 lakh ($130,000) a total of 474 offers. A total of 474 offers were made by various companies with the highest domestic package of Rs 70 lakh per annum.

With 29% of the total, the finance sector has offered maximum number of jobs to IIM Calcutta students. Offers were made in this sector by top recruiters like Arga Investment, BAML, Citibank, Goldman Sachs, HSBC and JPMC.

The second highest recruiter is the consulting sector that contributed to 22% of the total offers made. Top recruiters in this sector were Accenture, AT Kearney, Bain, BCG and McKinsey.

A good number of recruitments were also made by the general management firms. The sector contributed 15% of the total. Firms like Aditya Birla Group, CK Birla Group, TAS were the top recruiters for this sector.

Ecommerce and IT sector also contributed to 14% of the total offers and companies like Amazon and Wipro, among others, hired in big numbers.

Of the total offers, Sales & marketing sector has contributed 12%, predominantly given by firms like HUL, ITC, P&G, Reckitt Benckiser etc.

JNU to get annual visitor’s award for the “Best University”

News

By

Akash

-

March 6, 2017

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is to be awarded the annual Visitor’s Award for the “Best University”. The Visitor’s Awards for the year 2017 is being presented to the university by the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee at a function being held at Rashtrapati Bhavan on March 6, 2017.

The function is a part of the ‘Festival of Innovations’. Under the ‘Best University’ award, the university is to be presented with a Citation and Trophy while winners of Visitor’s Award for ‘Innovation’ and ‘Research’ will receive a Citation and cash award of Rs one lakh.

In order to motivate the Central Universities for adopting best educational practices from all around the world and to promote healthy competition among these universities, the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee had announced institution of these awards in 2014, revealed a press release from President’s Secretariat.

Visitor’s Award for “Innovation” has won by Dr Deepak Pant from Central University of Himachal Pradesh and the Visitor’s Award for “Research” has jointly presented to Dr Shyam Sunder from Banaras Hindu University and Prof Niranjan Karak from Tezpur University.

Record 4000 PG medical seats approved by government for 2017-18 academic session

By

Akash

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March 6, 2017

For the academic session of 2017-18, a record number of over 4000 PG medical seats have been approved by the government in various medical colleges and hospitals. Of the total, 2,046 seats will be added in medical colleges.

The approval of seats by the government has increased the total number of postgraduate medical seats to 35,117.

The need to increase the total number of PG seats in clinical subjects has also led the government to improve the teacher-student ratio for these subjects in government medical colleges. The government’s approval has resulted in the creation of 1,137 extra seats in 71 colleges.

Out of the total of 212 government colleges, many others are still in the process of sending their proposals to increase the seats. It is expected that by the end of March 2017, nearly 1000 more seats will be added in these colleges.

Diplomate National Board (DNB) seats, which are equivalent to MD/MS, have increased by 2,147 in the last one year.

Thus, the overall increase in PG medical seats is 4193 in the country so far and a further addition of more than 1000 seats is likely during March 2017 will add more than 5,000 postgraduate seats in the country which will help the government to achieve its target of adding 5,000 PG medical seats announced in the Budget.

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