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Health and Economic Crises Threaten Arab Funding for Research
The Arab region already lagged in government spending on research. Now, with oil prices in decline and Covid-19 taking hold, spending levels could fall further
Previous Coverageتغطيات سابقة
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Arab Universities Begin Reopening After Covid-19 Closures
Officials in several countries called the openings tentative and said they could be reversed if the number of infections rises.
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Society Through the Lens of a Pandemic: What Anthropologists Are Learning
Anthropologists aren’t surprised at the stigmatizing and blaming that followed Covid-19. It’s a typical human response to events too complicated to grasp.
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African-Iraqis Also Need the Black Lives Matter Movement
As the global movement against racism grows, it’s time for the Arab world to look at similar racial discrimination in its midst.
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A Diversity Institute Teaches Iraqi Students About Religious Minorities
The course, a rare undertaking in the Arab world, aims to promote peaceful co-existence and religious diversity by combatting stereotypes and misunderstandings.
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Thrills and Fantasies: Lighter Reading for a Summer of Disruption
Here’s a recommended reading list of lighter works to take your mind off Covid-19. Many are inspired by the broad sweep of history across the Middle East and North Africa.
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How Some Arab Children Are Shut Out of Classrooms
A new report details the ways in which government policies and on-the-ground practices exclude some children—because of gender, disabilities, and many other reasons—from schools.
Employment
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An Online Conference Focuses on Overcoming a Difficult Time for Education and Jobs
The conference brought together educators, students, entrepreneurs and advocacy groups to discuss how to support young people in the Middle East and other areas.
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Job Creation Efforts in the Middle East Hit a New Snag: Covid-19
Organizations that assist entrepreneurs in the Arab region and seek to improve young people’s job prospects face new challenges from the Covid-19 lockdowns.
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A Look at the Evidence: Do Jobs Create Peace?
The research is at times conflicting, but experts believe that employment ultimately can help foster social harmony in the right conditions.
Refugees
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Report Alleges Gross Misuse of Donor Funds for Refugee Education in Lebanon
A Beirut television station’s investigation accuses the government of inflating the number of refugee students in school and misusing millions of dollars paid by international donors.
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Jordan’s Tight Covid-19 Lockdown Also Squeezes Vulnerable Populations
Strict restrictions on movement in the kingdom have kept the virus at bay, but refugees and poor Jordanians have difficulty meeting basic needs and accessing online education.
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A New Way to Help Refugees Keep Their Health Records Available
A project in Lebanon documents refugees’ health data so that they can eventually get better medical care. But a lack of health insurance often prevents them from getting care.
Opinion
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How Can We Create an Enriching Classroom Experience With Online Learning?
The abrupt switch to online classes after the Covid-19 crisis was an emergency fix. Now we need to think in a more focused way about how to keep the benefits …
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Showing Their Faces Online Is Difficult for Some Arab Women: Educators Must Respond
As Covid-19 forces classes to go online, educators need to be more aware of the blind spots surrounding cultural norms that limit some Arab women’s ability to participate.
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The Acceleration of Online Education: What Can We Learn from the Crisis and Beyond?
The Covid-19 crisis forced a well-intended but rushed approach to online education. The emergency use of this modality exposes challenges and learning for adopting it more holistically going forward.
Resources
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Online for Free: A Summer Reading List
Publishers and literary websites are making it easy to find good reading material from or about the Arab world, with many free offerings to choose from.
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Where to Find Advice for Building Better Courses Online
The emergency adaptation of online learning during the coronavirus crisis left little time for reflection on best practices. Here is a sampling of resources for instructors who want more guidance.
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A Quarantine Reading List: Escapist Nonfiction from the Arab World
Readers who need a break from news of Covid-19 and chronicles of disease may find welcome relief in these books from the Middle East and North Africa.
What Others are Reading
Report Alleges Gross Misuse of Donor Funds for Refugee Education in Lebanon
A Beirut television station’s investigation accuses the government of inflating the number of refugee students in school and misusing millions of dollars paid b...
Online for Free: A Summer Reading List
Publishers and literary websites are making it easy to find good reading material from or about the Arab world, with many free offerings to choose from.
A Guide to Top Platforms for Online Courses
Al-Fanar Media explores some of the major Arabic and non-Arabic online learning platforms that offer university-level courses at low cost or free.
Where Does Higher Education Go from Here?
University leaders in the Middle East share their perspectives on how higher education will adapt in a post-Covid-19 world.
