Adolescence

PERSPECTIVEReleasing the potential of adolescents:Education reform in the Middle East and North Africa regionby Her Highness SheikhaMozah bint NasserAl Missned, UNESCOSpecial Envoy for Basicand Higher Education“In order torelease thepotential of thenext workforce –adolescents – wemust ensure thattheir educationproperly preparesthem for a career”On 12 August 2010, the second United NationsInternational Year of Youth commenced. We stakeholdersand advocates for children must therefore turnour attention to the problems adolescents face today.In the Middle East and North Africa region, these areparticularly serious in the areas of education andfuture employment.The region is also experiencing an unprecedentedyouth bulge. In the next 10 years, 65 per cent of thepopulation will be 24 years old or younger. In additionto the demographic pressure, young people arefinding it increasingly difficult to break into the labourmarket, especially with the larger number of newentrants every year. The region has a rapidly growinglabour force, and both unemployment and underemploymentare major concerns for young people tryingto provide for themselves and their families. By thetime a 13-year-old today turns 23, as many as 100million jobs will be needed to accommodate theserising numbers. That means creating 6.5 million jobsper year.While the Gulf countries have experienced a surgeof wealth during recent decades, this has not beenentirely beneficial for our young people. Many adolescentshave grown accustomed to a materialisticlifestyle that distracts them from reaching their fullpotential. Likewise, the seduction of consumerismtraps adolescents in an endless quest for possessionsand encourages them to disregard their role ascitizens responsible for community involvement andpositive self-development. Moreover, the labour marketcannot support the current youth bulge, impedingyoung people’s ability to achieve financial independence.Unable to find work, they extend their studies,in turn delaying marriage and parenthood.Acknowledging that our youth are consumers ratherthan producers is alarming, but it is not their faultalone. The education system in Arab countries ispartly responsible for the soaring unemployment rate,because it focuses more on granting diplomas than oneffectively training students in practical skills. It doesnot prepare young people for the global job market,as it neither encourages versatility nor enables themto apply a diverse set of abilities across a number ofdisciplines. In today’s rapidly changing technologicalworld, young people need to learn critical thinking,writing skills and flexibility – areas virtually absentfrom our curricula at present. If we do not reformour current practice and aim to transform today’sadolescents into creative, productive and diligentcontributors, our economies will not be able tocompete globally.My work with the United Nations Alliance ofCivilizations inspired me to launch Silatech, a regionalyouth initiative whose name derives from the Arabicterm ‘your connection’. Particularly active in theGulf countries, the initiative aims to partner youngpeople with leaders, corporations and organizationsglobally to promote opportunities for innovation andenterprise. In order to release the potential of thenext workforce – adolescents – we must ensure thattheir education properly prepares them for a career.If we do not invest in this generation, I believe thatthe devastating cycle of unemployment will continue.Adolescents represent a tremendous asset for ourfuture, and this historic opportunity to empower themand help them flourish must not be missed.Her Highness Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missnedserves as Chairperson of the Qatar Foundation forEducation, Science and Community Development; ViceChair of the Supreme Education Council; Presidentof the Supreme Council for Family Affairs; andChairperson of the Sidra Medical and Research Centerproject. She established the Silatech initiative to helpgenerate new jobs and opportunities for young peoplein the Arab world.58THE STATE OF THE WORLD’S CHILDREN 2011