التجديد العربي ومجتمع المعرفة: تكوين عامل التغيير المشترك

التجديد العربي ومجتمع المعرفة

Abstract

The paper deals with drawing the relationship between renewal and change and the knowledge society (KS) and presenting models of methodological tools that are capable of forming the common factor driving society in the form of a critical societal mass that leads and pushes the society towards reaching the KS. The paper includes an explanation of the differences between the information society and the KS, and explains how to measure the requirements necessary for the establishment of the KS through the fulfillment of seven domains of international standards based on the global knowledge index. These include the sectors of pre-university education, technical and vocational education, higher education, research, development and innovation, information and communication technologies, the economy, and the enabling environment. The paper also presents proposals for the role of a common motivating factor as “change agents” to produce change from information to KS. The paper also show the level of fulfillment of the requirements of the KS standards by Arab countries and how they are ranked on the global knowledge index with a detailed description of a systemic approach that leads to the formation of the “change agent” in the form of different specialized curricula for university education centered on three types of capabilities namely: specialized professional competencies, capabilities of creating and sustaining change, and capabilities to overcome the negative beliefs and attitudes. Also, the paper discusses the expected challenges facing Arab countries working towards achieving the KS including the attitude of the national governing authorities, nature and approaches to education, and the external challenges which stop such efforts as was the case with Iraq and its attempts to achieve KS during 1970s and 1980s which was halted by external direct armed invasion.