Young people are at the forefront of an important transformation in the wake of the Arab Spring in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and similar economic and social changes taking place worldwide. Despite increasing enrollment in higher education, economic growth in the region has been insufficient to absorb an increasing and more educated labor force, and youth unemployment rates in MENA are higher than any other region in the world.

Universities and other higher education institutions generate new knowledge and mold young people into leaders, entrepreneurs, scientists, and professionals, in all fields of study. Higher education systems in MENA are now under particular pressure, though, as there is a significant gap between the skills demanded by labor markets and those that higher education graduates are acquiring.

University governance – how universities and higher education systems define and implement their goals, manage their institutions, and monitor their achievements – is an area of focus in tertiary education reform worldwide. The World Bank and CMI developed this University Governance Screening Card to assess to what extent MENA universities follow good governance practices aligned with their institutional goals. Although the Screening Card does not, fundamentally, exemplify “good governance” model, it does allow universities to compare themselves with other institutions and international trends and to monitor their progress over time.

The University Governance Screening Card was developed in 2010, taking into account other higher education benchmarking tools. Its 45 questions examine each of the five major elements of governance: overall context, mission, and goals; management; autonomy; accountability; and participation. The Screening Card was first launched with a pilot phase of 10 universities and subsequently expanded and tested in 30 additional universities from four countries (Egypt, Morocco, Palestine, and Tunisia). The program published a regional report in May 2012.

• Benchmarking Tool Brochure
• Benchmarking Tool Brochure (extended version)

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