Building human capabilities: education

51 Chapter 1 emphasized the importance of knowledge acquisition as a cornerstone of human development. This chapter focuses on building human capabilities for knowledge acquisition in Arab countries through education. The assessment of the state of education using such indicators as enrolment and illiteracy rates and per capita expenditure reveals tangible achievements but also significant areas for further progress in the Arab countries as a whole. In addition, a mismatch between educational output on the one hand and labour-market and development needs on the other could lead to Arab countries’ isolation from global knowledge, information and technology at a time when accelerated acquisition of knowledge and formation of advanced human skills are becoming prerequisites for progress. To address these and other quality issues, a radical vision of education reform is put forward, including strategic directions and policies and specific areas for educational expansion and improvement.