In the new century, the wealth of nations will be built on brains, know-how, research and the capacity to innovate, no longer on resource endowment and material accumulation. Countries that will succeed are those that invest in higher standards in science and education, research and development. Education policies in Arab countries have been until now concerned more about quantity than quality. Surely, universal basic education is essential for development, but this must be at higher levels than those that prevail now. The elite is the engine of progress, and progress would have no meaning if large segments of population remained illiterate.
Development requires both the formation of an elite and the generalization of education.
This is an area where this sort of dynamic dualism would help in transforming society. There should be no contradiction in building up an educational system with two components, one aiming at generalizing education, the other at training a highly performing elite. There would not be a contradiction either between being a poor country and investing in scientific and technological research. Indeed, education, science and advanced technologies have become essential for rapid growth and development. By 2025, Arab population will exceed 500 million.