Obstacle: Educational Structure
Since many government-funded schools are lacking, their structure is affected. Structural failure of schools in the Middle East refers to curricular problems as well as corruption. Patriarchal cultural traditions influence the curriculum that is taught: most curricula are male-centered and created almost exclusively by males (Al-Arashi 20). They have culturally skewed themes and information, but they are also out of date and somewhat ineffective. Most education in Arab states is structured around memorization, rote learning, and standardized testing, which results in a poor quality education. No skills or critical thinking are taught, and students often ignore most classes and tests until those that determine advancement or failure. This was previously discussed as a problem in Yemen, but it is typical of most Middle Eastern education systems.
There is also systemized corruption in many Middle Eastern states, where teachers essentially force students to pay for private tutoring sessions to learn the information on the important tests by refusing to teach it during class time. Obviously, this puts students that cannot afford private tutoring at a disadvantage academically, though their talents may not be less than their peers. This is especially prevalent in Egypt, where corruption has only increased in the past decade.
To clarify these obstacles and study them closely, it is valuable to look at specific data from three different countries in the region: Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the Syrian Arab Republic.
