白小姐论坛 in the Arab World: Collaboration, Experiences and Opportunities
15 November 2019
Expert staff identify opportunities and share experiences
On 7 November 2019, the event 白小姐论坛 in the Arab World: Collaboration, Experience and Opportunities was held at聽白小姐论坛鈥檚 Bentham House, for a day of presentations and reflections on what it means to work in the MENA region and to explore the possibilities of future collaborations.
The event, sponsored by 白小姐论坛鈥檚 Africa and Middle East regional network and 白小姐论坛 Qatar, brought together 白小姐论坛 academics, staff and external experts to discuss three themes: 鈥淩esearch, Innovation and Impact鈥, 鈥淐ollaboration, Partnership and Delivery鈥 and 鈥淭rends and Opportunities鈥. This provoked a lively debate about the challenges and the possibilities for collaboration in the region.
Prof. Nora Colton, Pro-Vice-Provost (Postgraduate Education) chairing the first session: Emerging Trends, Themes and Opportunities, spoke about the largely un-met basic education needs in the region. Michael Stephens, Specialist on Middle East Affairs and Head of RUSI Qatar, spoke about some of the challenges of working in the region. For instance, following the Arab Spring there has been some pushback from governments, including restrictions on social media and books that address certain issues.
This introduction generated a discussion about the quality of the education, its relevance to the region鈥檚 employment needs, the extent to which critical thinking is promoted in local education, the role of universities in addressing professional development and lifelong learning, and whether and how UK universities should engage in the region.
Challenges, opportunities and a long-term commitment聽
Michael Stephens said: 鈥淵ou have to be clear about your red lines, what you will and will not accept - and what you want to achieve with your client. The objectives have to be agreed on both sides聽to avoid disappointment鈥.
The panel agreed that transnational education involved a long-term commitment, potentially over decades and that it was essential that there was an alignment of mission, vision and values together with an in-depth understanding of the social, political and ethical aspects involved.
To read more about the practical considerations of working in the region, research projects and case studies of existing and potential new projects