Dubai | Numerous governments in the Middle East are increasingly relying on eLearning to expand and transform the education system in order to expand equal opportunities in society through equal access to education and to promote innovation in the sense of diversifying the sources of income of the respective country. There are now a number of initiatives in the higher education and vocational landscape. According to the current report “Market size, demand, opportunities and growth outlook 2023 for online education and e-learning in the Middle East in 2023” by the US market research company Research Nester, the online education market in the region is expected to experience an annual growth rate of 9.8% over the next four years. This is due in particular to government investment and the increased introduction of eLearning in universities and companies. According to Research Nester’s forecast, Saudi Arabia has the largest eLearning market share in the Middle East with a total growth forecast of $237.1 million by 2023, followed by the United Arab Emirates, whose market is expected to grow by 10.3% annually by 2023. In the United Arab Emirates, Research Nester sees a high level of acceptance of eLearning and rising government investment in the context of modernizing the education sector as the reason for the increase in importance. For example, the Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, Muhammad bin Raschid Al Maktum, introduced a free online learning program that is aimed at up to 50 million Arabic-speaking students in different countries, provides support in mathematics and natural sciences and is intended to arouse interest in important academic subjects.
Despite the progress in the establishment of eLearning, the Middle East still faces great challenges, according to the findings of Research Nester. Out of 6.5 billion people in the Middle East so far, only 1.5 billion have access to a computer, which makes the spread of eLearning more difficult. The importance of e-learning in the creation of human capital is crucial, as lifelong and self-directed learning in the professional world can be facilitated organizationally and thus also made possible for a large workforce. eLearning is particularly suitable for being made fruitful in the sense of educational justice.
Picture: © Jacob Lund – stock.adobe.com
