Figure 1.10 Evolution of tertiary enrollments in selected MENA countries 6,074 6,000
Syria
5,022 5,000 4,000
Tunisia
Saoudi Arabia Morocco
3,616
Libya Lebanon
3,000
Koweit Jordan
2,000
Egypt 1,000
Bahrein Algeria
0 2000
2005
2010
Total
Source: Author’s calculations using national sources and UNESCO data base.
Figure 1.11 Enrollment by levels, in MENA and OECD countries
Figure 1.12 Enrollment in HE by sectors in MENA and in the Fast Growing Economies (2008-2009)
Source: UNESCO.
Source: Author’s calculations using UNESCO data base.
Participation of women in HE has increased in all countries (see figure 1.13), and especially in the GCC countries, where 62 percent of enrolled students are female. This is a significant achievement, not only for the key role that women’s education has in terms of contribution to economic growth, but also for women’s contribution to social development as a whole. However, while women have increased access to HE, this has not resulted in higher employability. In an analysis done in Tunisia (Jaramillo et al, 2009), where women mostly enroll in four year programs, it was observed that they tend to take longer than men to find a job. Moreover, if they attend engineering programs of five or more years, their chances of finding a job are no different than those of women who graduate from two year engineering programs. 9