AMMAN: The World Bank ranked Jordan and Kuwait as top educational reformers in the Arab world, according to a report by the organization released Monday in the Jordanian capital.

Egypt, Iran, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories were ranked average in the study, entitled “The Road Not Traveled: Education Reform in the Middle East and North Africa.”

The study probed elementary, secondary and university level education.
But despite the progress achieved in making education more accessible to more people and in reducing the gender gap in educational opportunities, the report said the region still has not witnessed the positive changes seen in Asia and Latin America.

The report labeled Jordan and Kuwait as “top performers” in terms of access, efficiency and quality of education, while Djibouti, Yemen, Iraq and Morocco ranked lowest.

However, World Bank officials warned that education reform needs to take top priority if the Middle East and North Africa are to meet current economic development challenges and tackle high unemployment.

The report said unemployment in the Arab world averages about 14 percent, which is higher than in other areas in the world except the Sub-Saharan Africa. Palestinian territories are worst, with unemployment at 25.6 percent.

“The time has come for countries to focus their energies on the quality of education and making sure that students are equipped with what they need for the labor market needs now: the ability to solve problems, critical thinking, innovation, and teacher retraining,” said senior World Bank official Marwan Muasher, who was responsible for the report's preparation.

“This is a very youthful region where 60 percent of the population is under 30 years of age,” Muasher told The Associated Press following a news conference unveiling the report. “Close to 100 million new jobs need to be created in the next 10 to 15 years in the Arab world. If we are to create such jobs, then we have to start with improving the educational systems.” –AP