When it comes to investing in skills and people, nothing is more important than enhancing the quality of education. Certainly, there have been great strides forward. The number of years in school has risen considerably over the past decade. But there is still some distance to travel if nationals are to compete for high-paying jobs with the best and the brightest in the global economy. A real concern is that students from the region score relatively poorly in international mathematics and science tests. The Arab region was an early pioneer in the field of scientific enquiry, going all the way back to people like Al-Hasan Ibn Al-Haytham and Jabir Ibn Hayyan. This is your legacy—I am confident that it will also be your destiny! Beyond education, other policies can help secure the future. Innovation and entrepreneurship should be supported, never held back. Governments can make private employment more attractive both by resisting the urge to open the floodgates of public employment in times of stress, and by implementing measures to boost private sector pay—including by facilitating on-the-job training and well-targeted wage subsidies. imf.org/external/np/speeches/2013/111013.htm
Posted on: Mon, 11 Nov 2013 20:57:51 +0000
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