Lebanon’s traditionally high tuition fees force more and more students to drop out in times of economic crisis. A new initiative seeks to stem the tide and safeguard the country’s most valuable asset.
Education
Dr. Amel Karboul is a social entrepreneur, businesswoman, author and politician. She is passionate about working with leaders, teams and organizations assisting them in creating breakthroughs in their thinking and transforming themselves.
Mehemed Bougsea has worked as a strategy consultant to GIZ and the German, Tunisian and Libyan governments, specialising in the socio-economic development of youth in regions with elevated unemployment rates across Africa.
Organisations promoting civic education in the Arab world often face difficult working conditions. Connecting MENA NGOs with one another, and with NGOs in Europe, helps spread expertise and resources.

With high illiteracy rates across Egypt, projects such as the Library Bus and the Café Libraries are designed to promote reading as a fun activity, a novel concept in a country where the education system focuses on rote learning.

In a country of social unrest, high youth unemployment and ever-present terrorist threats, improving its education system should be the priority for Tunisia. But education reform hit a rocky patch under the rule of an inconstant minister.

German training staff are becoming increasingly valued in the Middle East for their vocational education programmes. Bonn-based institute iMOVE's Silvia Niediek and Kristine Schinkmann explain how the synergy is working out well for all concerned.

As the most populous market in the Arab world, Egypt presents plenty of opportunities for entrepreneurs – but they must be prepared to chart their own course around inflexible bureaucrats and numerous obstacles.