Education Policies and Political Dynamics in the Arab Gulf States

Workshop Concept:

This workshop seeks to provide an academic platform for scholars and researchers to offer critical perspectives on the current state of education in the region, to anticipate future challenges the system may face, and to explore strategies for addressing them. By welcoming both conceptual and theoretical papers as well as empirical case studies, the workshop will allow for a comprehensive examination of the political and policy dynamics that have defined the Gulf’s education sector. This openness ensures that scholars approaching the topic from different methodological and disciplinary traditions will find space to contribute.

Over the past three decades, the Arab Gulf States have invested heavily in the education sector, implementing major reforms to their education systems with the aim of transforming their economies into more sustainable ones. Many policies were implemented, and considerable politics were involved. Yet, the education system has still not achieved its ambitious goals. This workshop aims to shed light on education policies and their political dynamics, in order to provide a deeper understanding of the issues facing the education sector in the region. Education plays a significant role in transforming the region, both socially and economically, as it shapes the generation that will lead the Gulf in the future. Their education today will have a decisive impact on their future.

Despite the strong interest of state leaders in achieving the economic visions of the 2030s, their commitment to education reforms has recently decreased noticeably, which has had an impact on the education system and its transformative role. Education is considered one of the most challenging sectors to reform, due to its interactions with political structures, economic status, social mobility, and human well-being. Accordingly, education is more critical than many assume. Education is not simply about schools and classrooms, or teachers and curricula, but a reflection of broader societal transformations, revealing the region’s political, economic, and social tensions. Educators in the region are struggling with unstable reforms that are implemented sporadically; this situation is unhealthy and inevitably impacts the education system and its outcomes.

This workshop brings together the voices and work of local experts in the field of education at the Gulf Studies Symposium, providing an opportunity to collaborate in shaping the future of education. Education and its practices are closely related to many other aspects of life, including politics, economics, innovation, social structures, governance, and state development. We believe this workshop will complement the other workshops at the Gulf Studies Symposium. The workshop also aims to publish accepted papers in a special issue volume, which will serve as a valuable reference for the academic field both in the region and globally.

Through this workshop, we aim to discuss the following topics, including but not limited to:

• Economic reforms and the role of education: How education underpins economic diversification efforts and prepares the workforce for a knowledge economy. This area raises pressing questions about the degree to which Gulf education systems are aligned with labor market realities and national visions, and whether reforms have succeeded in equipping students with the skills necessary for a post-oil era.
• The politics of education in the Arab Gulf States: How ruling elites, bureaucracies, and legislative bodies influence education reforms, and how these reforms reflect broader struggles over power and legitimacy. Education reform is rarely a technical process in the Gulf; it is embedded in political contests, symbolic gestures, and the need to demonstrate modernity both domestically and internationally.
• The social contract and education: The role of education in shaping the evolving relationship between Gulf citizens, expatriate populations, and the state. As rentier dynamics change, education becomes central to how governments renegotiate entitlements and obligations, determining who has access to quality schooling and who is excluded.
• The role of higher education: How universities function as drivers of innovation, nation branding, and global competitiveness in the transformative stage. The rapid expansion of universities, the hosting of international branch campuses, and the positioning of higher education as a symbol of global prestige raise important questions about the balance between local relevance and international recognition.
• Teachers and teacher policies: The politics of teacher recruitment, professionalization, and accountability, as well as their role in the reforms. Teachers are on the frontlines of reform, yet often they are constrained by policy shifts, bureaucratic expectations, and limited professional autonomy. Understanding their role is key to assessing why reforms succeed or fail.
• The role of educational leadership in shaping educational policies: How principals, supervisors, and ministry officials shape the implementation of reforms and navigate political pressures. Leadership at multiple levels influences how reforms are interpreted and carried out, creating significant variation in outcomes across institutions.
• Privatization and marketization of education: The rise of private schooling in both K–12 and higher education, and the implications for equity and class divisions. As private education expands, questions of accessibility, affordability, and social stratification become more urgent.
• Education, citizenship, and identity: How curricula and policies shape notions of belonging, nationalism, and identity in societies marked by demographic diversity. In the Gulf, where citizens are often a minority, education becomes a tool to cultivate loyalty and cohesion, while also negotiating global values and cultural traditions.
• Policy borrowing and policy learning: The role of international organizations, consultancy firms, and global rankings in shaping Gulf education, and the tension between global models and local realities. Reforms often draw on international “best practices,” but the question remains whether these imported models are sustainable in the Gulf’s unique political and social environment.
• Critical perspectives on reform: Interrogating the mechanisms of reform and questioning why many initiatives fail to achieve sustainable change. Many reforms are launched with great enthusiasm but are abandoned midstream, raising questions about political will, institutional capacity, and long-term vision.
• The AI era and the future of education: The challenges and opportunities that technological transformation poses for Gulf education systems. Artificial intelligence, automation, and digital learning are reshaping the global landscape, and the Gulf must consider how to prepare its students for this uncertain future.

By engaging with these themes, the workshop will provide both a diagnostic and a forward-looking analysis of education in the Gulf. It will offer a rare space where local expertise, comparative perspectives, and critical scholarship come together to unpack the politics of education at a pivotal moment for the region. In doing so, it will not only highlight current challenges but also encourage participants to envision strategies for building more resilient and equitable education systems.

A key element of this workshop will be its publication plan. Accepted papers will be considered for inclusion in an edited volume to be submitted to the Routledge Gulf Studies Series or a special issue in a peer-reviewed journal such as the Gulf Education and Social Policy Review or the International Journal of Educational Development. This publication will ensure that the insights generated are preserved as a lasting scholarly contribution.

In sum, this workshop will convene scholars from a diverse range of backgrounds to examine one of the most critical yet understudied issues in the Arab Gulf States. By welcoming both conceptual and theoretical contributions and empirical analyses, it will foster dialogue that is methodologically rich and substantively significant. At a time when Gulf states stand at a crossroads between ambitious visions of transformation and the realities of implementation, education remains a decisive factor in shaping the region’s trajectory. This workshop will therefore make a vital contribution to the Gulf Studies Symposium, advancing scholarship while also informing debates on the future of education in the Gulf.