PBS Now: Education City (Part 1)

While America’s reputation in the Middle East is hovering at historic lows, the demand for American university-branded education has never been greater. The PBS program “Now” explores how the oil rich nation of Qatar is importing top-notch American education at a cost of billions of dollars.

An initiative of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, Education City covers 14 square kilometers and houses educational facilities from school age to research level and branch campuses of some of America’s leading universities such as Georgetown, Texas A&M and Carnegie Mellon. Qatar aims for it to be the center of educational excellence in the region and is also conceived of as a forum, where universities share research and facilities, not only with each other but also by forging relationships with businesses and institutions in public and private sectors.