Sticks and Stones

Many of you will have been as shocked as I was at the recent news that the World Bank has lambasted several Arabic countries for providing their children with extremely poor educations - “falling behind”. Reports the BBC:

The World Bank has said the quality of education in the Arab world is falling behind other regions and needs urgent reform if it is to tackle unemployment.

In a report, bank officials said Arab states had to make improving education their top priority, because it went hand-in-hand with economic development.

So many revelations to take in at once! Arab education needs reforming? But what’s wrong with textbooks that omit the Holocaust, maps that omit Israel, classrooms that omit girls? But not only does the World Bank deserves much praise for highlighting this sorry state of affairs, but also for the enlightening insight that education fosters economic development.

Come on. Is there anyone in the world for whom this was not blindingly obvious? Of course education encourage economic growth - we could ask first-year economics students at university the same question and get a much more edifying and learned response. I’m a Trotskyist - that shows how little I understand economics - and even I knew that. It really makes you wonder: what is the point?

What is more, how is this newsworthy? Arab countries, I thought, are renowned for their shoddy quality of education, it being on a par with their sinfully corrupt leaders and Islam-derived injustices towards women, homosexuals etc. Next they’ll be saying that these countries would be a lot better off with female emancipation and secular government - and imagine how surprised we’ll all be if they say that.

This is Senior Staff Writer Leo’s 14th post and the blog’s 63rd post. It was published on Thursday 7th February 2008, one month after Sticks and Stones was founded.