Higher education in the Middle East
![Gaber Gad Nassar, president of Cairo University, poses with graduating Engineering students after an interview with Reuters at his office in Cairo Gaber Gad Nassar (front row, C), president of Cairo University, poses with graduating Engineering students after an interview with Reuters in Cairo October 15, 2014. The government has tightened security at the university as it seeks to avert another year of unrest on university campuses, among the last bastions of protest and dissent in Egypt. Nassar denied the security measures were intended to restrict academic freedoms. Picture taken October 15. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany (EGYPT - Tags: EDUCATION](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/almpics/2014/10/RTR4C569.jpg/RTR4C569.jpg?h=f7822858&itok=4cPLK2Qq)
Al-Monitor is always watching the trends in the Middle East and one area we’ve been following closely is higher education. We’ve covered the difficulty university graduates have finding employment in Gaza, Turkey’s efforts to launch its own competitor to Egypt’s Al-Azhar University, and how Israel’s ultra-Orthodox women are fighting for their right to attend university.
We’ve put together a special series on higher education across the region and will continue to follow developments as well as provide additional information on how to choose the right university for you and where to look for scholarships and funding to attend school.