Nowhere in the world is university education expanding as rapidly as in the six-member state of the Gulf Cooperation Council. In two generations the region has gone from having the Middle East's least educated population to boasting a younger generation whose educational achievements are approaching Oraginisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) standards. This unique study, with contributions by key decision makers, charts this dramatic development, exploring the challenges faced and placing accomplishments within the social, economic and political context of the region.

Christopher Davidson is a lecturer in Middle Eastern Politics at the Institute for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at Durham University. Peter Mackenzie Smith worked for the British Council and was Director of Education for GEC and Marconi. He directed a series of five strategic forums on education and training between the UK and the Middle East.

Acknowledgments Introduction, by Peter Mackenzie Smith 1. Higher Education in the Gulf: a historical background Christopher Davidson 2. Reforming Higher Education : the GCC highway in the shadow of the World Bank road Mari Luomi 3. Policy Politics of Higher Education in the Gulf Cooperation Council Member States: intersections of globality, regionalism and locality Andre Elias Mazawi 4. Institutionalising Charisma: comparative perspectives on the promise of higher education Gregory Starrett 5. Towards a Regional Quality Assurance Agency for the Middle East and Gulf Region Moudi al-Humoud 6. The Dilemma of Gender-Separated Higher Education in the United Arab Emirates Jane Bristol-Rhys 7. The United Arab Emirates and Policy Priorities for Higher Education Warren H. Fox 8. International Higher Education: ownership and opportunities - a case study of the British University in Dubai David J. Lock 9. Quality Issues Affecting Higher Education in Bahrain Khalil Y. al-Khalili 10. The Challenges of Vocational Training: BIBF, an institute of higher education Mohammed Alkhozai 11. The Contribution of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences to Scientific Education and Training at the National, Regional and Global Level Ali A. al-Shamlan 12. The Potential Contribution of GCC Universities to International Development Digby Swift Notes on Contributors Bibliography Index 1