Once you think the Arab world, you will either be nostalgic about our history, culture, art and the many traits that us the Arabs hold, or on the other hand you will think that we are a bunch of individuals who are great when we get together and talk, but at the same time fight with each other on the simplest thing as having a different point of view. However, this is not the reason I wrote this article.
Being in Education I am fond of seeing universities and colleges growing like mushrooms as that provide access and also due to competition there will be stronger universities that each want or aspire to be on top. Also with increased scrutiny in every country there is a great way to keep all the universities and colleges in their place so they don’t just open for gains.
However, I was involved in the ranking of Arab universities by QS, which will be launched soon in QS Maple. This is not something that the universities have to pay for, instead, those that provide or have all the criteria of the ranking, then it will be picked up and ranked. The Criteria are relating to employability, research, academic reputation, employers reputations and so on (see QS World University Rankings Methodology)
Of course the last count of how many Arab universities there are is 848 universities (see List of Arab Universities) out of these there are only 3 or 4 in the world ranking and that is not in the top 200, its in the top 400-600.
The state of the Arab universities is exactly the state of the Arab people. We were the best nation once upon a time, but our conditions are deteriorating to the extent that I am not sure if I will ever advise any student to study in the Arab world. What we need is graduates that can make a difference, Students with not only money on there minds, Students who will help fix this world.
Watch my interview at MBC Here