National development must be directly associated with uprooting poverty, achieving social justice and effecting an equilibrium in per capita income, a new book argues. If a given country achieves these three targets, then it has the due right to call itself an advanced one, the author, Ambassador Amr Moustafa Kamal Helmi, writes in his book. In the past, development was always linked to economic growth and increasing exports, but now it should be tied to the above three factors as well as bolstering scientific research and improving the quality of education and knowledge, while pre- serving the cultural identity of the country, he adds. I would like to add another key factor to the three-element formula for development, outlined by Ambassador Helmi in his book, A Study in International Economic Relations, namely the need for certain groups to set aside political differences and per- sonal interests, in order to give priority to national interests. Egypt, since the January 25 Revolution, has been beset by a set of problems that are the natural byproduct of a clash of inter- ests among certain political groups. These conflicts are hinder- ing development. I fully agree with Ambassador Helmi's view on the impor- tance of upgrading education as a key element for national development. Many countries, which were underdeveloped from the mid- 19th century till the early 1960s, have now become fully- fledged, advanced nations, thanks to the insistence of their respective governments on upgrading the education system. History tells us that Egypt and Japan simultaneously adopted a comprehensive development process in the mid-19th century. Countries like South Korea, India, China, Turkey, Malaysia, South Africa, Singapore, Vietnam, Brazil, Mexico, Russia and Argentina were also considered to be underdeveloped at a sig- nificant time in history. But now these nations, topped by Japan, have become advanced countries, with Egypt lagging behind. It is regrettable that the people's interest is more or less focused on local and international football matches, taking up much of their valuable time that should be dedicated to finding realistic means for Egypt's development and progress. The young people, who are the true capital in Egypt, are more preoccupied with news about the local and international football stars than developing their skills to meet the demands of a labour market where advanced know-how and the operation of sophisticated equipment are vital for production. The reason for this is the fact that the governments of these successful countries have together launched strenuous and suc- cessful efforts to improve their educational systems, while suc- cessive Egyptian governments paid little heed to this important sector, which is the basic component for any development. What Egypt needs to do now to catch up with these advanced nations is to boost its spending on education and scientific research, which are clearly a top priority. They must receive as much attention from the Government as the health sector, and significantly more than the infrastructure, water and agricultural sectors. Over the past three decades, the quality of education in Egypt has not kept pace with pressing economic challenges and inter- national reforms in this key sector. It is lamentable to say that the relationship between education and economic growth in Egypt was weak and the divide between education and unemployment has not been bridged. Although Egypt has made some progress in reforming its edu- cational system, it is still lagging behind other countries with a similar level of economic development. There is a pressing need in post-revolution Egypt for linking educational development to growth and productivity, in order to address the challenges of unemployment and integrate the coun- try's economy into the global economy, so that we can become a developed nation. [email protected]
