IT in the Middle East: An Overview

Transcription

1 IT in the Middle East: An Overview P. Mani Joseph Modern College of Business and Science P.O. Box 100, P.C. 133 Oman Barry M. Lunt Brigham Young University 265 CTB Provo, Utah ABSTRACT The field of Information has grown rapidly since the World-Wide Web dramatically expanded applications of the Internet in the mid-90s. While the United States has taken a leading role in defining the IT curriculum and accreditation standards, there is much work on the international scale in IT programs around the world. This paper will provide an overview of IT in the Middle East, focusing primarily on the Gulf cooperation council (GCC) countries -, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Topics covered include the institutions offering IT programs, the curriculum covered, the status of the IT industry, IT accreditation, and the IT work force. This information will be set in a cultural background that will help readers understand the developments and the challenges. Categories and Subject Descriptors K.3.2 [Computer and Information Science Education] General Terms Management Keywords IT status, IT Programs, Curriculum, Information Education, Middle East, IT industry, GCC region 1. INTRODUCTION Information technology (IT) is a term used to denote the application of computing and communication technologies in business, industry, government and entertainment. This field has grown rapidly since the World-Wide Web dramatically expanded applications of the Internet in the mid-90s which has resulted in massive demand for IT education. IT education has taken the world by storm. Companies are becoming more and more aware Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. SIGITE 06, October 19 21, 2006, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Copyright 2006 ACM /06/ $5.00. of the need for employees the keep up to date with the most current IT skills. The IT field is the fastest-growing employment field, resulting in a "skills shortage" in all parts of the world and the Gulf cooperation council (GCC) is no exception. GCC nations have undertaken new initiatives that will raise the IT literacy levels of all sectors of society as well as create awareness among the general public on the importance of IT. An overview of the IT status in the Middle East, focusing primarily on the GCC, is provided in this paper. Topics covered include the institutions offering IT programs, the curriculum covered, the status of the IT industry, IT accreditation, and the IT work force. This information will be set in a cultural background that will help readers understand the developments and the challenges in the right context. 2. BACKGROUND GCC is a regional organization involving the six persian arab gulf states with common economic and social objectives in mind. The Council is comprised of, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The GCC nations have been depending on oil as their primary source of revenue generation and the boom in international oil prices helped them in diversifying the investments. The GCC region has a population of approximately about 35 million. Recent immigrants comprise a high proportion of the inhabitants and this phenomenon accounts for the high growth rate of the population, (about 3%). In some of the GCC countries, the indigenous population is outnumbered by foreign-born workers, mostly from Asia, originally attracted by the petroleum boom. Expatriates make up 88 per cent of the workforce in the UAE, 83 per cent in Qatar, 81 per cent in Kuwait, 72 per cent in Saudi Arabia, 55 per cent in, and 54 per cent in Oman. Furthermore, fifty percent of the GCC s population is under 25 years of age. The Gulf's rapidly growing population has created an unprecedented demand for higher education, and as nationalization of the region's workforce gathers pace, there is an increased awareness of the need for the provision of quality tertiary education both domestically and internationally. A recent study on the GCC s public expenditure on education reveals that the GCC countries are set to achieve the world s highest levels of admission rates to institutions of higher education. During the 25

2 Table 1. Comparison about e-readiness, e-governance, network readiness index ranking among GCC nations GCC countries E Readiness rank E Governance rank Economic freedom index Networked readiness index UAE n/a Saudi Arabia n/a n/a n/a n/a Qatar n/a n/a n/a Kuwait n/a n/a n/a Oman n/a n/a n/a n/a last five years, many international reputed universities have started their campuses in this region. The GCC's plan to economically diversify into the non-oil sectors has been successful in large part due to a combination of the liberal, pro-business environment coupled with a strong telecommunications/information technology infrastructure. The governments have been the prime instigators in the advancement of information technology. They have funded significant projects in e-commerce and information technology related industries. The rapid growth in IT is evident from their improvement in the position of e-governance ranking, e-readiness ranking [1] and networked readiness index ranking [5] as shown in Table 1. The recently released UNDESA report [4] placed the UAE at number 42 in the world in terms of e-government readiness, but number one in the GCC region. The report also indicated that the UAE had moved up 18 places from 2004, when it was ranked 60th in the world. Similarly, most other GCC countries also showed positive movement in the e-government readiness rankings, with Kuwait moving up to 75 from number 100 in 2004, and Qatar moving to 62 from 80th place. Saudi Arabia also moved up from 90th global position in 2004 to 80th in COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES OFFERING IT PROGRAMS AND IT CURRICULUM The region's growing demand for internationally recognized undergraduate, post-graduate and career advancement courses in diverse disciplines such as banking and finance, IT, marketing, management and tourism, augurs well for the rapid qualitative and quantitative expansion of the education sector across the GCC and the Middle East. A number of U.S. universities have opened branch campuses, and many local institutions now follow the U.S. system of education and have created affiliations with U.S. universities. Business, management and computing programs are the leading fields of study in the GCC. A list of colleges and universities that are offering degree programs in information technology and closely related fields and their accreditation / affiliation status is shown in table 2. Curricula: Most of these institutions have developed the curricula in cooperation with an American/ British institution. Among the dozens of private universities established in the region within the last few years, most of the universities have either established partnership or affiliation with an American university. Steps have been taken by the local accreditation boards to modify the curriculum to suit the requirements of the local market. One of the leading teaching and research Universities in the region, United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), has developed the IT curricula by a group of IT renowned experts including deans from major U.S. universities [3]. Most of the universities have included a preparatory year for equipping the students with adequate communication and mathematical skills. The GCC governments have initiated large projects in the academic field to attract reputed western universities. Two of them are Education City and Knowledge Village. Education City is an academic complex on the edge of Doha, Qatar, which hosts branches of prestigious US colleges and has the objective of promoting scientific and technological research. Education City, launched in October 2003, hosts top tier US academic institutions, including Texas A&M, Virginia Commonwealth, Weill-Cornell Medical School, Georgetown and Carnegie Mellon. A scientific and technological park within the city has attracted such household names as Microsoft, which has set up a research unit there, as have European aircraft maker Airbus, oil giants Total and Shell, and General Motors, the world's leading car maker. U.S. universities located in Education City provide full-fledged degree programs in computer science, business, engineering and other subjects. The students face the same admission standards, grading curves, textbooks, and even lectures from the same professors as their American counterparts. Knowledge Village (KV) is an academic city in Dubai, to connect a learning community that will develop the region s talent pool and accelerate its move to the knowledge economy. KV was set up to group with leading universities and colleges in the same area, allowing students and faculty members from different nationalities to interact, thereby making the learning experience unique. 4. ACCREDITATION STATUS Since the 1990s quality and quality assurance have become the key themes for higher education is many countries in the world. The GCC is no exception. More and more people are concerned 26

3 Table 2. Details of institutions offering IT programs, the degree awarded and the accreditation status. College/University Program Accreditation status / Affiliation UAE University Bachelor Degree in Information Ministry of Education, UAE Middlesex University Dubai campus BSc (honors) Information Affiliated to Middlesex University, American University in Dubai Bachelor Degree in Information Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA), UAE Ajman University of Science and Diploma in Information Accredited by CAA, UAE Higher College of (12 Campuses) Higher Diploma & Diploma in Information Bachelor Degree in Business Information Ministry of Education, UAE. The HCT have their own accreditation and quality assurance agency American College of Dubai Associate Degree in Information Accredited by CAA, UAE and branch campus of American Intercontinental University in the USA College of Information, Dubai University College Bachelor Degree in internet Computing. Bachelor Degree in Computing and Information Systems Accredited by CAA, UAE Syscom College Associate Degree in Information Accredited by CAA, UAE British University in Dubai MSC Information Branch campus of British University, Heriot-Watt University Dubai MSC Information Branch campus of Heriot-Watt University, Mahatma Gandhi University off Campus, Dubai University of Wollongong in Dubai Middle east college of Information, Oman Majan College, Oman MSC Information Bachelor Degree in Internet Science and Bachelor Degree in Information Bachelor Degree in Computer & Internet Applications Branch campus of Mahatma Gandhi University, India. Accredited by CAA, UAE and Branch campus of University of Wollongong, Australia Branch campus of Manipal Institute of Higher Education, India Affiliated with University of Luton, Mazoon Colege Oman, Modern college of Business and Science. Gulf University The University College of College of the North Atlantic in Qatar Birla Institue of, Bachelor Degree in Information Science and Candidate for accreditation by Accreditation Board, Ministry of Higher Education(MHE), Oman Associate Degree in Information Provisionally Accredited by Accreditation Board, MHE, Oman Bachelor Degree in Computer Information Systems with specialization in IT Bachelor Degree in Computer Information Systems Diploma in Information Bachelor Degree in Information Accredited by Ministry of Education, Accredited by the Ministry of Education, Branch Campus of College of the North Atlantic, Canada Branch Campus of Birla Institue of, India 27

4 about the production or output of the higher education institutions, whether society is getting real value for its investments in higher education. In response to the diverse and ever-growing system of higher education, issues of quality and quality assurance are becoming a central concern. In regional settings and within individual countries, debate is continuing on the role and form of quality and quality assurance for higher education. Issues have evolved recently from an initial questioning of whether new forms of quality assurance were needed, to debate on what are the more effective approaches to quality assurance. Internationally, some elements of consensus have emerged, especially around the core elements of an approach to quality assurance that is appropriate for higher education. The GCC State that took the lead in adopting rules and regulations concerning accreditation in particular has been UAE, which has established a Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA), national body for quality assurance and accreditation. Other GCC States have adopted or are in the way for adoption of rules and procedures for quality assurance and accreditation. The CAA set up by the Ministry of Education of UAE to ensure quality in higher education conducts a program of licensure of colleges and universities and accreditation of each of their academic programs. The CAA uses two interrelated standardsbased quality assurance processes institutional licensure and program accreditation to assess educational quality, thereby assuring members of the public that the licensed institutions and the accredited programs they offer indeed meet international standards of quality. The licensing and accreditation standards used by the CAA are broadly based on quality assurance standards used by regional accreditation agencies in the USA. The foreign universities operating their campuses are accredited or recognized by the relevant education authorities in their home country. In order to maintain the quality, the relevant authority in the home country is responsible for the accreditation and quality assurance of the branch campus operating in this region. Some institutions of higher education have, in the recent years, requested, and sometimes obtained, accreditation for some of their programs, from foreign internationally recognized bodies, such as ABET or other American or European boards. For example, the American University of Sharjah (AUS) has been granted accreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education in the United States of America. Zayed University is a candidate for accreditation by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. UAEU is a candidate for the institutional accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). There is currently a proposal to establish a GCC Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education. This reflects the understanding that a regional approach to Quality Assurance in Higher Education offers the possibility of reducing national costs and improving both national and regional competitiveness in the global market. 5. IT INDUSTRIES AND LABOUR MARKET The Gulf countries, accustomed to strong returns from oil revenues, are now coming to terms with the fact that income from the hydrocarbons cannot sustain their economies in the long run. One of the primary goals of the GCC governments is economic diversification into the non-oil sector. Therefore, the government has implemented policies and programs to encourage citizens to pursue higher education, specifically training in engineering and information technology. In GCC, initiatives are being taken to boost the IT industry. The Governments have funded significantly large projects such as Dubai Internet City, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Knowledge Oasis Muscat, etc. Dubai Internet City was conceived with the mission of creating an infrastructure and environment for Information and Communication (ICT) and media companies to operate locally, regionally and globally out of Dubai with significant competitive advantage. Within a short span of time, a dynamic international community of ICT companies has established itself in Dubai Internet City. The global ICT giants are all there: Microsoft, Oracle, HP, IBM, Compaq, Dell, Siemens, Canon, Logica, Sony Ericsson and Cisco, to name just a few. These companies mainly concentrated on purely local sales of technology produced elsewhere. Knowledge Oasis Muscat (KOM) is a technology park located in Muscat, Oman. Dedicated to supporting technology-oriented businesses, KOM brings together a diversity of enterprises from industry niches as varied as M-commerce and international call centers. KOM is home to bluechips such as HP, NCR, Huawei and Siemens, as well as dynamic hi-tech start-ups. KOM-based companies vary in size, with organizations employing over 300 people. There is no significant manufacturing of hardware or software locally. This region plays a relatively minor role in global R&D, and the market mainly concentrates on sales and services. The IT job market is mainly concentrated in the support area such as network maintenance, customization of web portals, arabic interface, upgrades, security area etc. There are many small companies in the GCC offering software development and computer engineering, which focus mainly on providing internet access, Web development, and hosting in addition to consulting services and teaching. A major issue is software piracy. The GCC has a large underground market for illegal software. The IT labor market is composed primarily of expatriates. Over the last decade, the UAE has become the hub for telecommunications and information technology in the Middle East and is therefore attracting IT professionals from around the globe. The primary problem that the UAE will face in subsequent years will probably be a lack of nationals in the work force. Attracting foreign investment and IT professionals into the domestic labor market will continue as long as the UAE maintains a relatively liberalized economy. An exact estimate of the number of local IT professionals entering the market each year is unknown; however, there is not a significant risk of brain drain. Considering the UAE is the hub of information technology in the Middle East, the opposite is true. Most work is outsourced to professional services from India or the western world. Almost all local support and IT design and authoring is purely carried out by the local Indian and foreign expatriate groups that have been setup by some aspiring firstmover entrepreneurs. 28

5 6. WOMEN IN IT As Gulf nations have sought rapid modernization over the last 30 years, they have all made the education of females--a recognized hallmark of modernity--an element of their educational policies, albeit within the strict guidelines of Islam and traditional tribal customs. Females are still very rarely permitted by their families to go abroad for university study, thereby making local study their only option. Thus, while tens of thousands of Gulf males go to universities abroad and relieve local universities of some of their burden, the exploding number of female graduates must be educated in their own countries. In general, about 60 percent of graduates of Gulf universities today are female (although only a small percentage of these graduates ever enter the workforce). Some of the public universities in GCC have separate campuses for both males and females. Though large numbers of females are enrolled in computing areas, the number joining the IT industry is proportionately low. The reason for this is mainly the fact that administrative jobs in the tech industry are decreasing, and most of the women in the IT workforce want to serve in administrative positions. Women are also less likely than men to return to the IT workforce if they leave for childbirth or other reasons. Another reason may be lack of flexible working patterns. 7. INTERNET FILTERING The Middle East has made tremendous strides in improving Internet connectivity in recent years. Internet usage in the region grew by more than 300% between 2000 and 2005, whereas in Saudi Arabia, the figure was 1,000% [2]. The GCC governments extensively block content that it considers objectionable mainly for religious and cultural reasons. They use the SmartFilter filtering software to block nearly all pornography, gambling, religious conversion (attempts to convert Muslims to Christianity), and illegal drugs sites. The state also blocks access to all sites in the Israeli top-level domain. 8. CONCLUSION There is increasing demand for IT professionals in GCC and the governments and the universities should plan to produce skilled IT professionals meeting industry needs in the different job classification. Instead of simply following US institutions curricula, necessary modifications should be incorporated to cater the needs of local industry. Major IT companies need to transform their GCC operations from purely local sales of technology produced elsewhere, to international sales of technology produced locally. GCC governments must enact Intellectual Property (IP) rights that protect companies and individuals from IP theft and also must make serious and massive investments in Applied Research and Development. 9. REFERENCES [1] Economist Intelligence Unit e-readiness rankings 2005 report retrieved April 28 from df [2] Internet usage statistics from Internet World Stats retrieved May 2, 2006 from [3] Peter J. Denning. Ravi Athale. Nada Dabbagh. Daniel Menascé. Jeff Offutt. Mark Pullen. Steve Ruth (1999), A Model IT Curriculum for the UAE University, retrieved March 10, 2004 from [4] UNDESA report: Global e-government Readiness Report From e-government to e-inclusion. retrieved May 3, 2006 from pdf [5] World Economic Forum fifth Global Information Report retrieved April 30 from Reports/Reports/gitr_2006/rankings.pdf 29