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

Year 2017, Volume: 4 Issue: 1, 281 - 288, 30.06.2017

Btool H: Mohamed Muammer Koc

https://doi.org/10.17261/Pressacademia.2017.545

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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