Arab Educational Information Network

This article proposes that education reform is more likely to succeed in Muslim societies if it connects with Muslim cultures and traditions. Education reform conversations have been focused heavily on the development of individual and collective human capital, framing education as an investment in national and regional GNP or as a means of economic development (Nasser et al., 2019). These reforms have promoted ideas of privatization, standardization, accountability, school choice, and testing. However, it is unclear whether local populations embrace these reforms, and it is also unclear whether these reforms have delivered as promised. Furthermore, an examination of education initiatives in the Muslim world like madrasahs and religious endowments suggests that these goals do not align with the traditional role of education within Islam. (Published abstract)