ABSTRACT
Recognising that contexts are a crucial variable for consideration in all comparative studies, this chapter presents educational and cultural commonalities across and within the 12 Middle East countries (Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the UAE and Yemen). It also discusses social, economic and political diversities across and within these 12 countries. The chapter further explains the policy and practice concerning roles of the state in formal schooling, which, in turn, sets the stage for consideration of policies for shadow education.
