Education and the Economy in MENA - Case Study Example

Education and the Economy in MENA

Education and market skills

Due to the educational reforms in the MENA region, most of the primary schools have registered a high enrollment while the secondary schools have now accommodated everyone regardless of gender thus ensuring the gap disappears (Devlin 52). The determination and awareness of the importance of education for all genders have helped boost the women's desire to work hard, and thus, there are high chances of women joining universities and colleges. Education is the key part for strategic development since it works to empower individual’s well- being as well as the wellbeing of society. It also helps improve the economic as well as the social development in the community. MENA has ensured the availability of education in its regions, and that has remarkably improved the region's life in general.

Despite the training and awareness creation, there are other people who are still lagging behind and still insist on no education for their female counterparts. They are excluded from the education system and if given the chance to be in school they are exposed to petite information that can help prepare them to face the 21-century job market. Secondary school education which empowers people with skills and knowledge about the labor force is rarely accessed by all people. Education is supposed to be designed in such a way that it enables the people to face the world and be in a position to develop economically. Despite its potential and availability of the natural resources MENA has lagged behind in growth and even if it is growing it grows to the amazing level (Devlin 32). It is all because most of the regions do not focus on an extensive education system that empowers people to be independent and have an innovative idea that allows for economic boosting. However, they are pressurized by the systems in place to ensure that the children and everyone else access education so as to be empowered and such boosts the economy of a country.

There exists a relationship between education and the economy, and the relation is from various aspects, and they include skills, employment, and labor force participation among others. When focusing on the aspect of increased marketable skills education acts as an empowerment to the people who embrace it. It contributes to the national growth of the income by polishing the productive capacities of the workforce. A study done in 18 developing countries shows that increased schooling rates amplify the long-term economic growth by 3.8% thus making the making education a key factor that can help reduce poverty through the financial skills gained (Devlin 77). MENA region is not deeply affected by poverty and thus, have the chance to improve all other sectors leading to a boost in the economy. Education and economy are one couple that cannot be separated in that it empowers people to gain the skills required for economic boost.

Education enables people to learn skills that allow them to have entrepreneurship minds in that people can be innovative and come up with ideas that help them develop ideas that are business oriented (Cordesman 52). They are also able to come up with skills that would help them market their products both national and internationally. A well-educated person develops interpersonal communication which attracts customers to business to invest as well as buy their products. Interpersonal skills allow one to be in a position to interact with others and utilize multiple forms of media to reach those people. It also polishes the writing skills of an individual hence boosting their marketing techniques through effective sharing and presentation of information. Education also helps one to be sensitive and poses analytical knowledge that allows one to interpret information from all levels. Such a skill helps those in business to be responsive to the needs of their customers and creating what is best for them thus improving the economy. Creativity and effectiveness are some of the market skills that one acquires during the learning process; an individual is thought how to be creative and to communicate the information to other people hence making them understand your idea and helping you bring it to implementation. Creativity also helps increase production in various businesses and also attracts customers leading to increased production as well as the consumer. One develops negotiation skills as an art of persuasion and thus influences people to borrow his or her idea that leads to development as well as marketing of the products. Computer skills also allow the individuals to be liberal in their thinking and innovative ideas that enhance the marketing strategies.

MENA has improved due to its embrace of education in several of its regions, for instance, Turkey has realized the importance of empowering the human resource department for the success of a company. It has opened their eyes to understand the importance of education and thus making them renew their school system. The quest for modernity and improvement of the education system has made Turkey be one of the leading regarding marketing skills since they understand the secret behind empowerment and motivation of employees. It has led to increased schools as well as the promotion of education for all genders thus leading to growth in the economy due to acquisition of marketing skills. The introduction of education, as well as a slight improvement in the quality of education, has led to improved marketing skills that have helped improve the economy to a level higher than the previous one. The MENA region is significantly rising to be popular and regarding competency concerning market skills. The global economy seeks to invest in countries that do have literacy with a balance in the education system regarding gender since they need people who are skilled in all aspects. It, therefore, make MENO one of the regions that can attract investors since they are working towards improving their education system, for instance, Turkey, is working towards increment of schools and protection of the girl child and allowing them access to education.

Education and unemployment

The aspect of reduced unemployment is a key element where people have embraced education as an important aspect of their economy. Education empowers people to have innovation skills; it also allows them to acquire critical and creative skills and such will enable them to think of innovating businesses that created employment for the people ("Unemployment rates by education level in selected MENA countries, 2010" 10). Education empowers people to think of the ideas that will help them get finances for survival thus reducing the unemployment rates. It also enables individuals with the required skills to fit in the necessary jobs. The MENA region has embraced education and thus leading to empowering their people with the necessary skills so as to be employed in the relevant fields such skills include problem-solving skills that necessitate communication and sorting out the daily challenges that happen in organization (Cordesman 99). It also allows individuals to have better communication skills that allow them to express themselves and thus helping people secure jobs. Other individuals ensure the creation of employment through innovative ideas that give room for jobs.

Turkey has had reduced unemployment rates because its country has ensures increased participation in the labor force by both men and women who are educationally empowered to take up the tasks as required of them. The state has worked towards eliminating the educational gap that existed between the genders. It, therefore, meant that every individual was qualified for the work since they had the skill to work courtesy of the reformed education system. Most of the regions in MENA have also embraced the same leading to a reduction in unemployment cases thus leading to increased economic success. A healthy economy is measured by the number of unemployment rates in that a healthy economy has decreased rate of unemployment. Turkey and other MENA regions have changed their plans towards employment modes, and they now focus on skilled young people who can transfer most of their skills to work for productivity (Behar 33). The main problem was that there was an increased rate of unemployment among the youths and thus making it a problem that had to be addressed. Most of the young people had attained education but were unemployed and thus they have employed the idea leading to reduced rate of unemployment. The passing of the educational law and reforms in Turkey enabled the young people to gain the required skills for employment. It was achieved by making education compulsory up to a certain level that would allow the people to learn the core competencies that can earn them a job before they give up along the way.

Increased female participation in the labor force

The benefits of the female education to the economy is that female education helps reduced mortality rates as well as ensuring health population and family leading to improvement in the health sector. Women education empowerment leads to increased participation in the labor force consequently providing high productivity and economic development. An educated woman works towards improving child nutrition thus saving money that would otherwise have been spending on treating children with weak immunity systems. Gender discrimination in most parts of the MENA region is very common especially in the workforce in that women are categorized to handle some tasks like medicine (Behar 47). But engineering aspects like civil are accorded to men and other jobs are accorded to female from other countries like the waitress jobs. The above is even codified in their laws and women have to seek permission from their male counterparts before searching for a job or starting a business. Such codified laws restrict women from access to all aspects that pertain to development and access to resources that would help them contribute to the economy of the society. The situation of MENA region is slowly changing due to the availability of women activists who are from the segments that promote women education. Such women are working towards challenging the status quo and claiming equality in the family as well as the society as well as the general empowerment of women for the benefit of the community. Education in Turkey has been a battleground for religion and conservatives thus limiting the access to education. But some reforms have been made to ensure empowerment of its people as well as its women. With such reform, the gap that had earlier been there is now disappearing and most of the women are empowered to start businesses as well as be aggressive in their approach to living. The area has concentrated on improving the school system as well as encouraging the girls and women to focus on education. MENA is an Islam dominated region in which women are perceived as homemakers and are not supposed to be in school or gain education, but the system keeps changing due to the reform in the region (Gatti 42). The availability of education to women empowers them to be effective and productive in society.

Reduced poverty and fertility

Education for any society determines the age of marriage and the age at which an individual can have a first birth. Those women who lack education in the MENA region tend to give birth at an early age when they are not mature enough to take care of the child (Behar 57). It consequently leads to deformities in children due to lack of knowledge that can help such mother help their children maintain good health. Some regions allow their daughter to get married at the age of 25-29 and such can take care of their children giving them the right nutrients especially the educated ones. A study was done in Turkey 1998 DHS illustrate that 23% of the girls 16-19 years old with no education or did not complete primary school were already mothers or expectant compared with 3% of the girls who had completed secondary education or high-level education (Bank 19).

Educated women always work towards raising a family they can provide for, and they seek proper family planning methods in achieving such a family. They also raise healthier families since they focus on raising their children in the best way they know like giving them the right nutrients. Informal mothers tend to leave their children exposed to illnesses and fail to seek antenatal care thus leading to increased mortality rates. Most of the women in the MENA region are aware of the trending contraceptives, but those who are more educated tend to be aware of the available varieties and how to access them. They are also comfortable discussing the family planning with their men so as to control the number of children they can raise (Bank 33). Such improves the economy are ensures reduced poverty since few children can get a better education and be adequately trained to attain the required skills to build a better society. They also grow up healthy and less is spent on medications leading to reduced poverty since a nation that has healthy people focuses on improving the economy rather than working on reducing poverty.

Education and reduced crime

Education ensures employment of its population as well as being busy in school and thus will have less time to take part in crimes. A nation that invests in education results to reduced crimes since people are empowered to work and be better people in society. The MENA region works on ensuring young people are employed for instance in Turkey they focus on creating employment for the young people who are well known for committing crimes (Bank 42). Job creation makes them busy and has no time to think of creating crime scenes. Education allows them to improve their lives and also better their living conditions. Unemployment leads to poverty and poverty makes people seek for cash in a quicker way that may even provoke them to end lives to get what they want. Underdeveloped countries experience a high rate of crimes since everyone tries to make a living in any way they can.

The MENA region is not so much invaded by poverty hence making them concentrate on other aspects that affect them like gender equality. The area focuses on ensuring they let their women join the labor force so as to cover the gap that exists in their society such will help families have a balanced family life. Women will be in a better position to raise their families well since they are empowered both economically and socially thus raising decent children who will not end up committing crimes.

Conclusion

In summary, For the last 30 years, the Middle East and North Africa(MENA) have experienced a below potential economic level despite its effort to avoid crises as well as having considerable success in achieving macroeconomic stability (Haghighat-Sordellini 12). The region is well known to be a diverse economic region including countries that have a common heritage with a variety of phases in economic development with the immense natural resources. However, is believed to be below its expected economic level due to some hindrance that the region is working on. Such include embracing education as an aspect that boosts the economic system to the expected level. When people are educated they gain market skills as well as increase women participation in the labor force since there are laws that fight for the women. They are also empowered to start businesses and help reduce the unemployment scandal for a healthy economy. An educated region also experiences very few crimes since most of the people are employed and can earn a living in a straight forward way. Poverty is also reduced since the women are aware of the family planning methods and how to access them as well as taking care of the family through proper nutrition hence saving the country from health expenditures.