CHALLENGES AND DRIVERS FOR QATAR’S TRANSFORMATION INTO A KNOWLEDGE-BASED ECONOMY AND SOCIETY- WORK IN PROGRESS IN EDUCATİON SYSTEM REFORMS

Abstract

Until late 1990’s, core Arab traditions and a nationalistic approach were the main factors determining the structure of the educational system in Qatar.  The system was old, rigid and devoid of any international benchmarking to assess its competitiveness at a global scale.  However, beginning in early 2000s, the Qatari leadership, with the help of international assessments, was quick to realize that if Qatar desired a place among the leading knowledge-based economies, it had to revamp its educational system and all peripheral activities to enrich its human capital.  Moreover, Qatar’s need to move away from oil/gas-based economy has been a key driver to reform and enhance its education and innovation system to gradually transform Qatar into a knowledge-based sustainable economy and society, which was adopted as its National Vision 2020 (QNV 2030) and a blueprint for its sustainable development plans for the next few decades.  However, while the leadership planned and focused on implementation of QNV 2030 objectives, there has been a general sense of incoherency between key stake holders and execution and implementation of conceived initiatives and reforms.  This paper discusses various challenges that need to be overcome to realize Qatar’s ambitious sustainable development goals based on innovation driven knowledge economy after analyzing the current progress of several reforms and initiatives within the human capital development arena.  Several recommendations are proposed entailing progressive and adaptive policy-making and responsive governance of the educational and innovation framework in Qatar, which needs to invoke economic incentives and fortify intellectual property rights while nurturing expansion in innovation, education, vocational skills, information and communication technologies. 

Keywords

• Qatar,knowledge economy,educational system,innovation,entrepreneurship

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