RIYADH, 14 April 2003 — The World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY) and the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States (ABEGS) have agreed to conduct a joint study of the problems faced by Muslim youth in the Gulf states. The study will also look at what changes are required in the educational system to make the young productive members of society.
The announcement was made at a press conference by Dr. Saleh Al-Wohaibi, secretary-general of WAMY, who said the two-year study beginning next month would cover five different areas in each GCC state and involve 25,000 intermediate, high school and technical education students.
Dr. Al-Wohaibi and Dr. Saeed ibn Muhammad Al-Mulees, director-general of ABEGS, signed the agreement. The study will be conducted by ABEGS and funded by WAMY.
The WAMY chief said a questionnaire would be distributed among students to seek their opinion on how to combat terrorism. Another question would elicit their views on domestic tourism in the Gulf states. The findings of the study will be released later at a conference.
Dr. Al-Wohaibi said that youth had been the subject of many studies in the Kingdom. However, a GCC-wide field study would be comprehensive in scope in identifying problems rather than proceeding from preconceived notions.
“We know some of the problems among the young, such as unemployment, smoking, alcoholism, etc. But only a field study will define the exact dimensions of the problem and provide guidelines for a solution. We may then find it necessary to overhaul the educational system on the basis of our findings. Much depends on the outcome of the study,” he stated.
