No one can argue that education needs a serious makeover, particularly in our little

corner of the world where the common ground between teachers and students

is shrinking at an alarming rate, quality educators are growing more scarce than

fossil fuel, and compensation for their labors has been something of a joke. Cleary,

changing the “time-honored” foundations of education, as flawed as they may be, is not

something that can be accomplished overnight, but we have to start somewhere, irrespective of

how minute the changes we spur may appear to be. Sufficient drops of water, cast by a sufficient

number of people for long enough will eventually form a pond, then a lake, and finally a sea.

The Middle East Educator has always aspired to be the magazine which stimulates such

change in education rather than simply being an observer on the sidelines of the domain. And

in that regard, we have decided to cast the first drop – in the form of a series of three-stage

roundtable debates, each of which will focus on a specific aspect of education that has had a

significant impact in the sector in the Middle East as well as the world at large.

For every subsequent issue of the Middle East Educator, our aim is to organize in various

locales in the region three separate debate sessions, the first among students, the second among

instructors, and the third among heads of schools. The purpose of the endeavor is to explore

and analyze various issues of interest or of concern, thus uncovering sound and effective

practices while at the same identifying flaws and shortcomings in different approaches to

education. More importantly, however, the scheme will help identify differences in perception

among the three groups regarding effective and attractive methods of learning.

Recognizing these flaws and differences will bring about further exploration into these

controversial issues, and we aim to collaborate with experts in the field in order to propose

strategies that can help overcome these hurdles and assist us in our drive to take the Middle

East to the forefront of education.

In that regard, starting with the next issue of the Middle East Educator, in which our participants

will spar over the merits of technology in education, we invite our readers to join us as we

embark on our interactive quest to change the face of education as we know it. Your insight,

suggestions and encouragement will prove invaluable in this task that is certain to evolve and

grow more complex and challenging as we progress.