Skip to main content

Will Qatar outperform Arab countries in education by 2020?

Dr. Muhammad Faour



Dr. Muhammad Faour
Senior Associate at Carnegie Middle East Center, Beirut, Lebanon




Dubai, (UAE): Of all the Arab countries that have participated in the international tests for fourth and eighth graders and 15-year-olds between 2006 and 2012, Qatar has shown the most substantial and consistent improvement in each and every test, be it in reading, math, science, or math reasoning and at all grade levels. The average score for each Arab country that has participated in these tests since 1995 is still below.

The performance of students in standardized international tests is a good indicator of the quality of K-12 education. These tests include TIMSS, which is administered to fourth and eighth graders; PIRLS, which is administered to fourth graders; and PISA, which is given to 15-year-old students. TIMSS tests student performance in math and science. PIRLS measures reading literacy; and PISA assesses students’ level of acquisition of key knowledge and skills that are essential for the participation of citizens in modern societies. In 2012, PISA focused on math reasoning, with limited assessment of proficiency in science, reading, problem-solving, and financial literacy.



Arab countries that participated in TIMSS 2011, PIRLS 2011 or PISA 2012 may be classified into three groups according to the average score of their students in these tests. One group performed better than in 2006 or 2007; another maintained about the same performance; and a third group performed more poorly than in previous years. Of all the 11 Arab countries that participated in TIMSS 2011, the six countries that participated in PIRLS 2011 and the four in PISA 2012, Qatar stands out for achieving the most substantial rise in scores in every test between 2006 or 2007 and 2011 or 2012.

In TIMSS 2007, students in Qatar had the lowest or second lowest average scores among Arab countries and ranked close to the bottom internationally in both math and science. In the 2011 test in math for fourth graders, Qatar jumped up to the third rank among nine Arab countries. For the eighth grade test in math, it reached the fourth rank among 11 Arab countries. In TIMSS 2011 science test, fourth-grade Qataris occupied the fourth rank among Arabs, while the eighth graders occupied the eighth rank, with only a one point difference from the two countries that tied for seventh rank.

This remarkable improvement must be the outcome of a successful implementation of education reform. Qatar must be doing something right about its education system. It must have introduced changes that led to hiking its scores in international tests over a relatively short period of time – four to six years. These changes are demonstrated in numerous indicators of various aspects of the school organization and climate, which were measured in PISA 2012.

Factors that are conducive to better learning outcomes in K-12 schools include improvement of the status, academic preparation and professional development of teachers; establishment of a quality assurance system and good governance; involvement of parents in school affairs; and introduction of creative extra-curricular activities. Qatar’s data on these factors shows that the country’s education system is undergoing quick and solid reform relative to other Arab states and to the benchmark countries of PISA 2012. These countries comprise the 34 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development which include Israel, Turkey, countries from Europe, North America, South America and two Asian nations.

Research shows that school attendance is essential for student learning. According to PISA 2012, one of the indicators of student engagement with and at school is the percentage of students who reported having skipped classes or days of school, which was 29 percent in Qatar. Although Qatar’s figure did not reach the lower OECD average of 25 percent, it was lower than the comparable figures for all three other Arab countries that participated in PISA.

Student-centered methods of teaching are more conducive to better learning than teacher-centered methods. Teachers’ student orientation at school reveals that in Qatar, a larger percentage of teachers than in OECD asked students to work in small groups to come up with joint solutions to a problem or task; and to help plan classroom activities or topics. Another critical factor for effective teaching is the nature of teachers’ academic preparation and certification. Among the Arab countries that participated in PISA, Qatar had the highest percentage of teachers who hold university degrees and who were certified to teach. However, the percentage of certified teachers in Qatar was still not high enough in 2012 to reach that of the OECD average.

Teacher pre-service training is also necessary to prepare quality teachers. Qatar is among the countries that require this training. After recruitment, teachers need continuous professional development to stay abreast of changes in their disciplines and to upgrade their teaching methods. In this area, Qatar is also doing very well. About 75 percent of its math teachers, the second highest percentage among all participating countries, reported having attended a professional development program during the three months that preceded the PISA survey.

Schools that offer creative extra-curricular activities such as a school play or musical; art club or other art activities develop a school climate that promotes student creativity, which is a highly valued student skill for the twenty-first century. Qatari schools ranked higher on this variable than the three other Arab participating countries and also higher than the OECD average.

One important component of school climate is parental involvement in school-related activities such as parents’ discussion of child’s behavior or academic progress with teacher; volunteering in extra-curricular activities; and participating in school government and fundraising. Again, Qatar had the highest score among the participating Arab countries on almost all listed parental involvement activities, a score that is also higher than the OECD average.

As part of good governance, student achievement data are posted publicly and used for accountability purposes in many countries. Almost half the students in Qatar study in schools that have adopted this practice. The comparable percentages for the other Arab participating countries in PISA were lower, as was the OECD average. Furthermore, quality assurance in schools requires a variety of practices including teacher mentoring; monitoring of math teachers’ practice through tests, peer reviews and observation; internal/self-evaluation; and written feedback from students regarding lessons, teachers, and learning resources. All of these were more prevalent in Qatar than in other Arab countries.

The results of TIMSS, PIRLS and PISA undoubtedly show substantial, rapid improvement in the quality of K-12 education in Qatar, which can be attributed to a host of reform measures in the education system. However, the country has a long way to go and reform changes should be stable and consolidated over time. If the pace and extent of reform is sustained and the decisionmakers remain committed to quality education through continuous funding and administrative support, Qatar can outpace other Arab countries, and achieve higher scores in the next international tests of math, science, and reading.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Why You Should Not Opt For IIT Bombay

This article is written by IITians in the blog Actors Imran and Anushka during a cultural program at IIT Bombay If asked to compare IIT Bombay to IIT Delhi, most students say that the difference is negligible. Both are in metropolitan cities with good options for hostels, PG accommodations, food and entertainment. Cultural activities are equally good as is the faculty and study methodology. Even placements at the two IITS are amongst the best in the country. Yet figures indicate that the top JEE rank holders prefer Computer Science Engineering at IIT Mumbai rather than IIT Delhi. But, we are here to tell you when and why you can avoid IIT Mumbai. Mumbai IIT was earlier placed in the suburbs, away from the crowds, giving IITians the space and peace to pursue their career goals. Today the area in Powai is surrounded by high rise building, malls and traffic snarls, bringing with it all the clatter and patter of a metropolitan hub. Just like the population and popular

Story of a B-Tech engineer’s love for music

Passion is one where everybody wants to plunge in. You may be forced to pursue alien paths in life. But your passion may be just opposite to that. Whatever, if you do a bit of research, you will get a path. Higher education is a world you have to choose carefully. That can lead you to peace and prosperity. Why I write this now is when I got a letter from a parent who is suffering from his son’s adamant approach to pursue a programme in music. As a parent he is not against music. But the thing is that, his son is an engineer. He had done his B-Tech from a premier tech-college of India- NIT. Now the son is working as an electrical engineer in a good firm in Bahrain. He draws around Rs.1 lakh per month. This is a good salary for a student who just now starts his career. But now the son wants to pursue his private passion- Music. He is an ardent music lover. His first few months salary was spent for setting up a studio at home. He bought few good expensive instruments and music equipmen

Takatuf scholarships announced

Muscat: Takatuf Oman announced 24 International scholarships for 2013. These 24 students were selected from the 60 who successfully completed the Takatuf Scholars Summer Residential Programme. Selected students will be sent to join leading international educational institutions for the 2014-15 academic year. Takatuf Oman is the human capital solutions provider for Oman Oil Company (OOC) and its group of companies. Out of the total 24, ten students received the Takatuf International Scholarship funded by OOC, nine the Takatuf Oman Oil Refineries & Petroleum Industries Company (ORPIC) Scholarship and five the Takatuf Oman Trading International (OTI) Scholarship. The ceremony was held under the patronage of Sayyid Dr Fahad bin Al Julanda Al Said, Assistant Secretary General for Innovation Development, The Research Council. As part of the programme, they will spend two years in preparatory or boarding schools followed by four years at university furthering their education, learn