Education stands at a critical juncture in the Arab States – more than three years after the eruption of the Arab Spring sparked by young people of the region, and one year before the deadline for the realisation of the six Education for All (EFA) goals, the future role and direction of education hang in the balance. The enthusiasms and tensions of the Arab Spring were fuelled in part by growing demand for education and for the benefits it is purported to bring, as well as by frustrations with its low quality and inability to deliver work opportunities. Fully one in five people is aged 15-24 – a total of 85 million – and one in four of these is out of work. In some countries of the region, unemployment among university graduates is higher than among those with nothing more than primary schooling.

The Arab Spring has highlighted the role of youth, of women, and of information and communication technologies (ICTs). EFA is of course all about what opportunities young people have to develop their potential and contribute to society. It is also worth noting that the EFA agenda set goals for gender parity and gender equality in education, and stressed the need to integrate ICTs into educational processes. This report reviews the status of progress towards the EFA goals and then presents a number of examples of recent activities designed to accelerate progress. It also reviews the status of the 2015 EFA final review process and of discussions on the post-2015 education agenda.