Educational aims and policies of three Arab countries with socialist political options: a problem solving approach.

Abstract

The Topic of this research is an enquiry into the field of values and the policies related to them, in the context of Arab education. The objective is to contribute to ALESCO's research in the field of philosophy of Arab education and the practical problems related to it. The approach is the Holmesian "problem solving". The study focuses on some "Socialist" Arab countries. Structurally, the study is comprised of seven chapters. The first five chapters deal with the "problem" as an object of analysis in its multidimensionality. The first chapter is an identification of a "confusion" within the context of Arab education. The second chapter is an attempt to define, "technically", the problem. The third chapter consists of the historical background; a further clarification of the problem. The fourth chapter is a "rational construct", a sociological tool intended to approach the "national character" of the three countries selected for study. The fifth chapter is a focussing of the scope of the research, for practical and methodological reasons, on the "Socialist Arab States". The sixth chapter consists of an analysis, in the light of a Socialist theory of social change, of the present educational policies in Algeria, Libya and Syria. As hypotheses these policies are exposed to refutation in the light of a specific national and international context. Predictions are made and an alternative “Islamic” theory of social change is suggested. The seventh chapter is a set of alternative policy proposals. The conclusion is a summing up of the findings of the different chapters.