General Report - Education and Preparation of the Future Generations for the Knowledge Society

The demographic situation of the youth in the Arab region indicates that the future of Arab societies depends on the attitude and performance of this generation, particularly with regard to the objectives of the transition towards the knowledge society. Arab countries have a huge balance of youth that must be invested in and empowered through education to participate and progress towards the knowledge society. young people in Arab countries constitute a large proportion of the population, and the percentage of children in the age group less than 15 years is more than 45% of the total population while the percentage of young people between 15-24 years is about 21% (World bank, 2007). unless there is a plan to invest in this human capital to form the cornerstone of development by enabling it to acquire the requisite knowledge, skills and values, it will be a burden on the economy, which suffers already from several problems. unemployment and poverty rates will also increase. This will become a constant condition that negates all the efforts made to overcome the dilemma of development in some Arab societies and provide elements for its sustainability in others. Therefore, the development of cognitive human capital must be a top priority of development in the Arab region, given that human capital is the essential foundation for moving forward towards building the knowledge society and strengthening the competitiveness of the Arab region. Hence, the Arab region must review its education policy in order to enhance the sector and develop it qualitatively, allowing young Arab generations to become a human force able to build, renew and actively participate in a comprehensive development process. QUantItatIVe analySIS oF the arab edUcatIon SyStem