Six years ago the United Nations Development Program published a remarkably frank and revealing survey, written by a group of Arab intellectuals, which concluded that the Arab world was suffering from a deficit of democracy, of education, of women's rights and of free debate. There have been a number of striking improvements since. Which together suggest that there are real prospects for socio-economic and political reform in the Arab world. Economic growth is taking off in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and in the Gulf.

The oil-rich states are investing seriously in their own industrial and educational futures, and are also investing heavily in other Arab states. The growth in the Gulf states, the rise of new medical schools and research centers, often in partnership with Western universities, points to a richer future. Women are being elected or appointed to high public office. Sheika Lubna al-Qasimi, economic and planning minister of Dubai, may be the most prominent example, but there are others. And birth rates are falling dramatically in most Arab countries, which along with more young women going into higher education suggest that real change is under way.

But there is a long way to go. The World Bank has just published a 400-page survey of the state of education in the Arab world which concludes: "Despite considerable growth in the level of educational attainment, there continues to be an 'education gap' with other regions, in absolute terms."

"Most reforms in the region have attempted to engineer changes in the education system: Building schools, hiring teachers and writing curricula," the report says. However, "the success of future reforms will require changes in the behavior of key education actors: teachers, administrators and educational authorities," the report noted, adding: "This is the road not traveled in the region."

The problem now is the quality of education, the overuse of repetition and rote learning in teaching and the lack of focus on creative thinking, the poor training and pay of teachers and ensuring that students are equipped with what they need for the labor market,"

Marwan Muasher a former foreign minister of Jordan, now with the World Bank, commented: "It's a very youthful region. Some 60 percent of the region's population is under 30 years of age and close to 100 million new jobs will need to be created over the next 10 to 15 years in the Arab world. If we are to create such jobs, then we have to start with education."

One of the most hopeful developments in the modernization of the Arab world has been the emergence of new media, particularly satellite TV channels like al-Arabiya and al-Jazeera, which have brought more news, open debate and information to the Arab public. But this week, the Arab states adopted a charter which authorizes national governments to penalize media that are deemed to have offended religious or political leaders or damage national harmony.

This is supposed "to protect the higher interests of Arab states and of the Arab nation." In fact, it is more likely to chill the emergent public debate and the brave work of independent broadcasters, and to set back the cause of Arab reform.