The Politics of Education Reforms in the Arab Gulf States

This important volume focuses on the politics of education reform and the process involved with designing and implementing such reforms in the Gulf region, providing a novel framework for the little-researched K–12 education context in the region.

Chapters demonstrate the involvement, influence and motivation of the ruling establishment in reforming the educational system, and share the experiences of key politicians and policymakers through discussion of the challenges faced in reforming education and perceived outcomes in the region. Using Kuwait as example of teacher policy reform struggle, the chapters then provide a comparative analysis in relation to Qatar and Bahrain to demonstrate regional difference and posit a framework for Arab Gulf states to improve processes and implementation of K–12 educational reforms. Employing political theories to understand education reforms in the Arab Gulf states region from a political perspective, chapters use policy document analysis, international reports, and interviews with policymakers, educators, and faculty to explore solutions and underpin the framework presented.

Contributing much-needed discussion of education reform in the Gulf region from a political perspective, the book will be of use to scholars, researchers and postgraduate students in the fields of education policy and politics, international and comparative education, and educational change and school reform more broadly. Those with specific interest in how educational policy unfolds in regions that lack robust democratic history will also benefit.