Teacher education in the Arab world : the key to the 21st century

Abstract

A perusal of the geo-political and socio-economic landscapes of the Arab World since the end of the Second World War reveals that the region has undergone rapid social change. The colonial experience, the national struggle for independence, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the oil wealth and water crisis, and the process of nation building have dominated the era. In the last half a century, Arab regimes sought legitimacy through revolutionary ideologies, charisma, liberal democracy, and customary or traditional authority. Authoritarianism prevails, and power is concentrated in the hands of small elites, usually representing wealth and/or military might. In the last two decades, democratic practices of varying forms were introduced. The transformation and restructuring of society in the region has started. It is affected by the rapidity with which change is taking place worldwide. This is leading to new realities forcing governments to take note. What is unique about the current age of transformation at the dawn of the 21 st century is the environment in which it is occurring. Changes that are happening reflect the technological, intercultural and interdependent world in which we live, making it more difficult for states to keep the lid closed on its constituents. This, it will be argued, is affecting education in various ways and to varying degrees.