Eighty seven percent of Bahraini nationals – the highest percentage in the GCC countries surveyed – are satisfied with their local education system, said a report.

Despite relatively high public satisfaction with the education sector, education outcomes lag behind other high-income countries, with GCC students testing in the bottom third of all students around the world in math and science, added the latest Abu Dhabi Gallup Center (AGDC) report unveiled at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi recently.

Public demand for education is increasing, however, with attainment levels rising sharply across the GCC for men and women, the report said.

Ninety-seven percent of 15- to 29-year-old national men in Qatar have completed secondary education or higher, and GCC women are as likely as women in high-income countries to have a tertiary education, with Qatar leading the way (26 per cent).

“The GCC is producing many more high school and college graduates now than it did a generation ago, but these numerical gains haven’t been matched by quality gains,” said Dalia Mogahed, ADGC director and senior analyst.

“This is a strong indicator that there may not be enough public demand for improvement.”

“The GCC certainly has an opportunity to overtake the rest of the world in providing the best possible education, and I feel that with increased consumption of education, public demand for improvement, and continued investment in world-class minds and facilities, we will progress in the right direction,” Mogahed added.

The report “Progress and Tradition in the Gulf Cooperation Council States” is supported with Gallup polling data from 2009 and 2010 and provides analysis, addressing issues ranging from wellbeing and education to family and religion. – TradeArabia News Service