A Review of the Recent Developments in the Higher Education Sector Globally and in the GCC Region

Abstract

Higher Education (HE) is one of the rapidly growing sectors worldwide. This research reviews the sector developments and challenges internationally and in the GCC region with the aim of identifying areas for future research and enhancements to improve HEIs performance. Research papers and relevant statistics extracted from official sources were reviewed by the researchers. The review findings revealed that students’ enrolment growth, diversification and internationalisation; stakeholders’ engagement and competitiveness; emphasis on quality, ranking, transparency, regulation, privatization and professional development; technology advancements and governance structures were some of the recent developments in the HE sector. Challenges included HEIs resources capacity and technology adaptation pressures, students’ diversity, stakeholders competing powers and transparency. Research on the developments reported in the GCC context focused on internationalisation, students’ body expansion, regulation and quality. As for the challenges, context specific ones included the role of Arabic language in academia, while others were general like the lack of information disclosure. Future researchers and HE policy makers and leaders need to address the challenges identified and benefit from them to achieve financial sustainability, resources innovation and governance effectiveness.