Perspectives and Strategies towards Collaboration in Higher Education in the GCC Arab States of the Gulf

Abstract

Higher Education with international quality parameters has been one of the most important and challenging aspects of discussion for policy makers in the field of higher education in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Arab States of the Gulf. As evident, there are 62 universities in the GCC countries, with highest number of 21 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, followed by 15 in the United Arab Emiirates, and so on with then 4 in Qatar. Hence the GCC countries together present an excellent opportunity for growth and development in higher education. Besides, this region also provides an excellent platform for area specific development of educational programmes and strategic partnership with international agencies involved in quality assurance in higher education. Looking at the need of the future generation and enormous potential for growth in economy, it is essential that an analytical study of universities of the GCC countries should be undertaken so that a networked collaborative framework could be developed amongst these countries for making this region a centre of excellence in higher education. In the light of this need for conducting an analysis of the higher education in this region, the present paper identifies the following objectives ; (a) to examine the potential of universities in the GCC countries on the various parameters of academic excellence, (b) to identify those spheres of higher education where the possibility of growth and development is still untapped with the help of SWOC Analysis, and (c) to design and develop a strategic partnership framework for the GCC universities for developing this region into a centre of excellence in higher education in the world.