“Point of Discussion” BBC Program: Special Episode on Arab Universities
Posted on
A special episode of the “Point of Discussion” BBC Program is going to air today on BBC Arabia TV and Radio to discuss why Arab universities are not listed among the best universities in the world. This issue was raised for discussion among a select group of specialists, along with a group of students and researchers who are knowledgeable and interested in the topic. The episode was recorded at the BA.
Higher Education experts believe that several factors are responsible for the decline of Arab universities’ rank in, or their complete absence from, the lists of the best universities worldwide. These factors include the significant increase in the number of universities all over the Arab World; estimates show that the number has exceeded 350 Arab universities, whereas there was barely a total of 10 Arab universities in the mid-20th century. Experts believe that this increase has negatively affected the quality of higher education in the Arab World. They also state that another factor is that the budget allocated to scientific research in Arab countries is constantly cut down and redistributed in favor of security and defense budgets.
The episode is going to air today at 19:05 (GMT) and again on Wednesday, 8 June at 2:05 (GMT).