Sociologists, Dr. Mark J. Olson and Dr. Hassan Diab, in "When Wasta and Liberal Arts Conflict: A Case Study of a Private University" note four reasons for this substantial growth in the U.S. university model in the private sector in the Gulf in recent years. I paraphrase and portray these four rationales as follows:
(1) The credit point system of the U.S. system had already been adopted in the public universities in the Gulf during previous decades as the Egyptian model of universities fell out of favor once the Nasser-inspired era of Pan-Arabism began to crumble.
(2) Throughout the Middle East and in many parts of the globe, it is commonly believed that U.S. universities provide greater quality assurance in education and training than other nation's universities.
(3) Even before 9-11-01, Arabs were already studying less and less in the U.S. itself. That is, they preferred to be closer to home to their families, friends, and societies; hence, there was a growing pent-up demand for the U.S. model in each Gulf state. [This stay-near-to-home trend reflects the pull or need of cultivating "wasta", which is endemic throughout the Gulf and particular strong in Kuwait.]
(4) The rising growth in local Gulf Arab populations made it hard for the public university sectors to keep up with the baby boom of these past three decades in the Gulf.
[3]
In order to fill the gap in demand for higher education diplomas in the Gulf region, the private sector has essentially been turned to by each of the Gulf state governments. In response to this demand, thousands of westerners have been recruited to come to the region to instruct, carry out research, or to administrate in these new institutions over the past few decades.
In turn, in the tradition of import substitution, the Gulf Arab private sector has been asked to follow the model of the popular U.S. education system. It is often rationalized that even if citizens of the Gulf states are deciding to stay at home more to study, so as to perpetuate the age-old system of "wasta", they should still strive to build on the American liberal arts model, that appealed to others studying abroad in future generations.
WESTERN LIBERAL EDUCATION
Theoretically, one reason the liberal arts model is appealing to Kuwaitis has likely to do with the image that it prepares one for the future come-what-may. That is, it fits with the age we are living in whereby the technologies and internet are now permitting research space in all corners of the world for building lifelong learning habits. These habits include practices to promote not only intellectual growth, good scientific enquiry & understanding of methods, but also provide a supportive frameworks to follow one's moral compass and good decision practices in an ever-changing world.
Not surprisingly, as the 21st century dawns, the western concept of liberal arts is being distorted here in the Gulf as it liberal arts model is appropriated and adapted in many ways within the chrysalis of Gulf Arab "wasta" culture. For example, for most young people in Kuwait receiving the diploma is the only important thing. Meanwhile, as a whole, the same youth are not encouraged by family, society, nor by the local political economic practices of "wasta" to place much serious time into "learning to learn", i.e. gaining and practicing good study habits for lifelong enquiry, learning to be ever-curious and discuss alternatives. In short, the "wasta" society doesn't demand preparation global elements or forces of change in any timely fashion. Finally, learning for the sake of learning is not promoted by culture here-even if that is a driving force behind some aspects of the liberal arts schools in the West historically.
For example, while in the classroom, some Kuwaiti students will regularly ask the instructor from the West to "simply get to the point" in the middle of a lecture, class exercise or discussion. At the end of class, they start pointing to their watches and shouting, "Time!"-as though only what goes on outside class is important to their real lives. Likewise, far too many Kuwaiti students on a weekly basis never allot themselves more than the 14 class hours they are enrolled in for their own time to study time.
How can most students who neither study nor go to class more than 14 hours-total in a week ever become good liberal arts students or technicians-- or learn to cultivate the educational practices needed to do critical thinking and research in our modern world?Further, many more Kuwaitis cheat and plagiarize--or even work in gangs--to browbeat an instructor, in order to raise a grade or allow them to be given a second or third retake of an exam. Still, at times, other Kuwaitis call on well-placed political figures or even policemen to intimidate professors into unfairly lifting-significantly their GPA marks-or excusing them of their umteen absences from class.
SOCIOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION OF WASTA
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
