With a fast growing population in the GCC countries, with close to 60 percent below 30 years old, the public sector is unable to sufficiently absorb school and university graduates as it could in the past. This presents an economic, education and social challenge for the region.

Deloitte has just released a new whitepaper titled ‘Education — Middle East Public Sector national necessities’ that tackles the challenges that Middle East and GCC governments are facing in education reform.

This Deloitte whitepaper clarifies what Middle East governments might do to support national educational missions.

It tackles the educational reforms needed to prepare young people to enter private and public sector employment.

The Deloitte whitepaper particularly focuses on GCC countries where expatriates make up the biggest proportion of the private sector workforce in Qatar and Saudi Arabia while Emiratis make up more than half the public sector.

“The need to diversify employment choices explains why many GCC governments are implementing major reforms, including new curricula, improved teaching standards, increased professional freedom and enhanced use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to prepare young people for wider employment opportunities,” explains Abdelhamid Suboh, consulting partner and Public Sector leader at Deloitte Middle East.

Richard Barrett, director in consulting at Deloitte Middle East said: “Helping young people understand the options open to them through effective careers advice and guidance is essential. Treating teachers as the skilled professionals they are and supporting them to develop more flexible teaching styles and make creative use of technology should continue and increase.”