Consider the following: 22 per cent of people in the UK and 15 per cent of Egyptians have a university degree. When you throw in the entire Egyptian diaspora, the percentage grows to 19 per cent. In other words, the UK and Egypt are quantitatively nearly equal.
Now pretend that you are 18 and you want to go to a university. Let’s say that I have the ability to send you to university for free in either Egypt or Britain (no top UK universities). Almost everyone in this exercise chooses the UK. Why? If Egypt is comparable in level of college degree attainment, then how is it that it’s not a competitive choice? Egyptians are just as brilliant as UKers, so it’s not an IQ issue.
Pretend for a moment that you are a policy maker in the 20th century from a newly liberated postcolonial state. What are your top education priorities? You desperately need engineers, lawyers, bureaucrats, accountants and managers. You might want – but you don’t need – art historians, political scientists, sociologists and so on. With limited resources, you must design a university system that is great at creating engineers and awful at producing scholars in the humanities and social sciences. It’s a matter of survival.
Mohammed Al Gergawi, the UAE’s Minister of Cabinet Affairs, recently gave a talk in which he said that in 1971 the UAE had 45 Emiratis with college degrees. Forty-five! How do you staff the bureaucracy? The UAE, like most states that emerged in the 20th century, was born in a technocratic famine. In other words, the systematic neglect of the social sciences and humanities was warranted.
But it’s no longer 1919, 1952 or 1971. It’s time for the Global South to step up its game.
To illustrate why this is necessary, I think we should address the usefulness of a world-class university. The most important use has already been addressed. Universities create the talent necessary to run a state. If we superimpose Maslow's hierarchy of needs onto the university-state relationship, then this is the first need – physiological.
Safety is the second need in Maslow’s hierarchy. In this model it translates into “good citizens”. Let’s be honest, over the past 6,500 years, most states have thought it best to have an uncritical, ignorant and brainwashed citizenry. The university was always a dangerous enterprise because it created a population capable of critical thinking that might rebel against too much corruption. By contrast, states that experimented with teaching critical thinking (such as the medieval Islamic states and the Kingdom of Prussia) had incredible results. Name the greatest minds of the past 250 years. An overwhelming majority of them are German or Austrian. Innovation flourishes when your public is unleashed.
The internet upended the value of an ignorant and brainwashed public. Today it is a liability, unless of course your state is a tyranny in a predatory relationship with its own people. What the past 25 years have taught us is that an ignorant population with access to the internet is a disaster. When people who are incapable of discerning fact from fiction, incapable of critical thinking and lack basic information are exposed to rabbit-hole algorithms, they will fall prey to outlandish ideas. This is extremely harmful in an electoral republic, but even the best of monarchies has to take care.
The internet came into the world full of promise. The ability to instantly look up information and instantly communicate with the entire planet could easily have created a new golden age. Instead, we have seen an explosion of nonsensical conspiracy theories, an entrenchment of reactionary ideas and an explosion of xenophobia.
How do you combat this? Philosophy! Critical thinking skills and the ability to discern fact from fiction have become the benign state’s best safeguard against the most outrageous effects of the internet.
We need to instil literature, poetry and philosophy (three core parts of nearly every culture in Africa and Asia) into chemists, physicists and biologists, just as much as we do it for the psychologists, historians and writers
Allow me to skip Maslow’s third (love and belonging) and fourth (esteem) needs. The fifth need is self-actualisation. For the university-state relationship, this is an intellectual culture. In order to create innovation, you must either grow your innovators at home or poach them from elsewhere. The US has done both, very successfully. However, talent isn’t enough.
If a university is to become world class, it needs more than high-prestige scholars. It must have an intellectual culture. To create that sort of culture you cannot merely publish articles that almost no one will read. Allow me to invoke Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s book Emile to illustrate this.
Rousseau tells us that we need to train Emile to become an expert in a field so he will thrive professionally (Maslow’s fourth need). Rousseau also tells us that in educating Emile’s female counterpart, Sophie, we shouldn’t waste any effort giving Sophie a specialisation. Rather we should give her a broad education. This will give her the tools of conversation so that she can attract a potential mate (Maslow’s third need). So, if Emile becomes a pianist, Sophie can play a little piano or if Emile becomes a mathematician, Sophie also knows some trigonometry. Just enough to make her charming without being threatening.
We know how Rousseau’s education scheme will play out. Emile is a fachidiot. He cannot converse outside of his area of specialisation. The sinews of an intellectual culture are created in conversation, so Emile is a cultural dead end. By contrast, because Sophie has been exposed to so many areas of study, she might actually find her calling in life (Maslow’s fifth need) and because she has such a broad education, after she divorces boring Emile, she has a real chance of adapting to the changing job landscape. But the most important piece for our purposes is that she is capable of participating in intellectual culture.
We must educate everyone, regardless of their gender, in a well-rounded education that develops a field or two where they can claim some measure of specialisation, but without cutting them off from other forms of knowledge. It’s not either or – it’s both. By doing this an engineer can talk to sociologists and philosophers, thus creating a thriving intellectual culture.
I haven’t invented anything. All I did above was describe the liberal arts education. In the UK, the humanities and social sciences are taught with same vigour as the sciences and thus create the basis for a thriving intellectual culture. In other words, we need to instil literature, poetry and philosophy (three core parts of nearly every culture in Africa and Asia) into chemists, physicists and biologists, just as much as we do it for the psychologists, historians and writers.
As that culture finds its way out of the university it will both support universities as well as create the basis for an innovative society. Unfortunately for the world, at the time when we need to expand liberal arts education, the rhetoric of “efficiency” is making cuts in places like the US and the UK too. If America continues on this path, it will render its public universities into vocational schools, innovation will drop and conspiracy theories will fill the void. By contrast, if liberal arts education takes hold in Asia and Africa, the power of the intellectual culture will propel those societies into a new golden age of innovation and discovery.
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
THE SPECS
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 258hp at 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.4L/100km
Price, base: from D215,000 (Dh230,000 as tested)
On sale: now
The biog
Profession: Senior sports presenter and producer
Marital status: Single
Favourite book: Al Nabi by Jibran Khalil Jibran
Favourite food: Italian and Lebanese food
Favourite football player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Languages: Arabic, French, English, Portuguese and some Spanish
Website: www.liliane-tannoury.com
Stamp duty timeline
December 2014: Former UK finance minister George Osbourne reforms stamp duty, replacing the slab system with a blended rate scheme, with the top rate increasing to 12 per cent from 10 per cent:
Up to £125,000 - 0%; £125,000 to £250,000 – 2%; £250,000 to £925,000 – 5%; £925,000 to £1.5m: 10%; Over £1.5m – 12%
April 2016: New 3% surcharge applied to any buy-to-let properties or additional homes purchased.
July 2020: Rishi Sunak unveils SDLT holiday, with no tax to pay on the first £500,000, with buyers saving up to £15,000.
March 2021: Mr Sunak decides the fate of SDLT holiday at his March 3 budget, with expectations he will extend the perk unti June.
April 2021: 2% SDLT surcharge added to property transactions made by overseas buyers.
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
PFA Premier League team of 2018-19
Allison (Liverpool)
Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Aymeric Laporte (Manchester City)
Andrew Robertson (Liverpool)
Paul Pogba (Manchester United)
Fernandinho (Manchester City)
Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)
Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)
Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo 4-cyl
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Power: 190bhp
Torque: 300Nm
Price: Dh169,900
On sale: now
Short-term let permits explained
Homeowners and tenants are allowed to list their properties for rental by registering through the Dubai Tourism website to obtain a permit.
Tenants also require a letter of no objection from their landlord before being allowed to list the property.
There is a cost of Dh1,590 before starting the process, with an additional licence fee of Dh300 per bedroom being rented in your home for the duration of the rental, which ranges from three months to a year.
Anyone hoping to list a property for rental must also provide a copy of their title deeds and Ejari, as well as their Emirates ID.
CHINESE GRAND PRIX STARTING GRID
1st row
Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
2nd row
Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-GP)
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
3rd row
Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull Racing)
4th row
Nico Hulkenberg (Renault)
Sergio Perez (Force India)
5th row
Carlos Sainz Jr (Renault)
Romain Grosjean (Haas)
6th row
Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
Esteban Ocon (Force India)
7th row
Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren)
8th row
Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso)
Sergey Sirotkin (Williams)
9th row
Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso)
Lance Stroll (Williams)
10th row
Charles Leclerc (Sauber)
arcus Ericsson (Sauber)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
AUSTRALIA%20SQUAD
%3Cp%3EPat%20Cummins%20(capt)%2C%20Scott%20Boland%2C%20Alex%20Carey%2C%20Cameron%20Green%2C%20Marcus%20Harris%2C%20Josh%20Hazlewood%2C%20Travis%20Head%2C%20Josh%20Inglis%2C%20Usman%20Khawaja%2C%20Marnus%20Labuschagne%2C%20Nathan%20Lyon%2C%20Mitchell%20Marsh%2C%20Todd%20Murphy%2C%20Matthew%20Renshaw%2C%20Steve%20Smith%2C%20Mitchell%20Starc%2C%20David%20Warner%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
