Posted on 01/15/2016 1:35:18 PM PST by nickcarraway
The Muslim world’s past contributions to science and education were extraordinary. The Islamic “golden age,†during which scholarship and learning flourished across the Muslim world, lasted many centuries, and included the establishment of the world’s first universities. Today, however, Muslim-majority countries lag well behind the rest of the world in terms of education and research. This must change if the region is to provide modern jobs and better lives to its booming population and keep up with global development.
As it stands, only one university from the Muslim world — Turkey’s Middle East Technical University — makes the top 100 in an international ranking, and only a dozen or so can be found in the top 400 in various other lists. While there are no international standardized tests in science and math at the university level, fourth-, eighth-, and tenth-grade students in the Muslim world test below the global average in these subjects, according to the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study and the Program for International Student Assessment. And the gap with students elsewhere is widening.
Moreover, research output — as measured by publications and citations in international journals, as well as patents — is disproportionately low compared to population and financial capabilities. Muslim countries spend, on average, only about 0.5 percent of their GDP on research and development, compared to the global average of 1.78 percent of GDP and the OECD average of above 2 percent. The number of people working in science fields in the Muslim world is also well below the global average.
Eighteen months ago, a nongovernmental, nonpartisan task force of international experts — convened by the Muslim World Science Initiative and the Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology, and coordinated by me — set out to explore the sorry state of science in the Muslim world and determine how universities could help to improve the situation. A better understanding of the various issues and possible remedies could enable science to flourish again in the Muslim world, with far-reaching benefits for its economies and societies.
Our review of the state of science at universities in the Muslim world took into account not just budgets and research, but also issues like the status of women in science studies and careers. Moreover, we conducted a thorough review — the first of its kind — of how science is taught at universities in the Muslim world, including pedagogical methods, textbooks, language of instruction, censorship of “controversial†topics (such as the theory of evolution), and the role of religion in science classes.
In a just-released report, the task force concludes that, though the overall state of science in the Muslim world remains poor, much can be done to improve it effectively and efficiently. The task force offers specific recommendations for academic institutions, national policymaking bodies, and other stakeholders, such as science academies, industry associations, and civil-society organizations.
For academic institutions, one major goal should be to build students’ capacity for creative thinking and critical inquiry. To this end, the task force recommends broadening the education of science-focused students to include humanities, social sciences, languages, and communication. At the same time, it calls for the adoption of internationally tried and true teaching methods, particularly “inquiry-based†and “active-learning†approaches. Of course, such a shift would require professors to receive training in these methods.
Professors should also be encouraged to dedicate themselves to writing textbooks and conducting science outreach, not just publishing more papers. This recommendation may be surprising, given the Muslim world’s low research productivity. But the reality is that such efforts will produce more real-world benefits than a single-minded focus on publication, which can inadvertently encourage plagiarism and junk science. The task force has recommended that national policymaking bodies grant universities more space to innovate (especially in curricula) and evolve (in research programs and collaborations), each in its own way, according to its strengths and weaknesses. And it has called on all institutions to embrace meritocracy and shun gimmicks likes paying for “collaborations†to boost publications. A quick rankings boost is never worth the risk of reputational damage in the longer term.
These steps require a bottom-up program of change. That is why the task force has now put out an open call for universities across the Muslim world to join a voluntary Network of Excellence of Universities for Science (NEXUS). Overseen by the task force, this self-selected peer group — comprising university administrators and faculty who recognize that change must start from within — will implement the steps that the task force has devised.
The hope is that once the first group of universities’ efforts begin to bear fruit, more institutions will join. The resulting momentum will create pressure for ministries, regulators, and other policymaking bodies — which may be the most resistant to change — to take complementary steps. — Nidhal Guessoum is Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the American University of Sharjah, UAE. ©Project Syndicate
The “golden age” lasted until about 1100 when the head decided it was proper to destroy libraries, etc. After all, education that didn’t agree with the Koran was evil...and it continues today.
There never was a Muslim golden age. They conquered a number of great civilizations and enslaved the inhabitants. And it took them a while to grind down those civilizations.
As for universities, the earliest ones were in Christian countries, in the early middle ages. Which, in turn, went back to the philosophical schools of Athens and Rome.
A short summary of a long story.
They score below the west, so rather than improve themselves, they’ll flood us with migrants to bring us down too. Got it.
The Arab and Persian etc peoples are capable, its the hate-filled teachings of their Satan-worship cult that drag them down into the sewer
BS. Catholicism, monks, started universities. Allah tells you all you need to know in koran, so further education is uncalled for....hence the islamic world is ignorant and the judeachristian world is studied.
Who comes up with this crap. Muslims do nothing.
Exactly. There never was one. Your post was spot on.
Followers of islam make Flat Earthers look intelligent.
But before that movement rose up, Islamic scientists and mathematicians created the base for much of our modern science. Indeed, the development of algebra and trigonometry--spurred on by the need to find the direction of the holy city of Mecca from anywhere in the world--became the basis for modern calculus. And they had a goods trade that was essentially second to none in the world (after all, the prophet Mohammed was a merchant based in Mecca for much of his early adult life)--indeed, Arab merchants set up trading posts all over the Middle East literally right behind the conquering armies.
Recent events in Jakarta demonstrate why this is impossible.
Because: Allah gave us the Koran, and that's all we need.
Ans it's almost true in a way. Because if the Koran taught them a philosophy of conquest, they don't have to develop the products of civilization, they just have to take them over.
First sentence of the first paragraph is taqyyia - read no further.
Bull Obama.
Period.
They borrowed from Indian culture, Greco/Roman culture and the works of the Byzantine people.
Also....who was it again that burnt the great library at Alexandria?
Borrowing from other cultures is not a strike... pretty much every culture that advanced did that.
The great achievements that are said to have come out of the Islamic world were made either by non-Muslims who happened to be under Islamic rule, or by heretics who usually had little interest in Islam. Scientific discovery tapers off dramatically as Islam asserts dominance, until it eventually peters out altogether.
“Also....who was it again that burnt the great library at Alexandria?”
Actually, it was burned several times. Egyptians, Romans, Mohamedians, Christians, are all credited with burning it down at one time or another. Its demise was spread out over several centuries.
While they borrowed a lot, the development of algebra and trigonometry are definitely original works by Islamic mathematicians. And without that work, modern calculus could not exist.
Goat doots.
Disagree...there was no golden age of Islam. Dr Bill Warner dismisses this myth summarily by showing that since its inception, Islam has been about Jihad, and Submission. Any enlightenment it had was stolen from Islamic conquest in Europe, Asia, and North Africa
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