1. The Foresight of the Sheik: State-
Funded Higher Education in the
United Arab Emirates
Jana Kathryn Johanssen
SIT Graduate Institute
Pim 71
January IELR
18 August, 2011
2. The Matrix Indicators
• Matrix Indicators:
• Field Focus- higher education
• Scope- national
• Lens- qualitative
• Viewpoint- education for transformation
• Timeframe- when the education policy was
formed
• Variables- financial resources, access, and
equality.
• Basis- social action research
3. Thesis
The Sheik of the United Arab Emirates, along
with the new government, used great
foresight to include higher education in the
government-funded education
system, specifically when considering that the
country's purpose for schooling is to prepare
students for their role in the global economy.
9. "The wealth of any nation is its intellectuals and the
progress of peoples and nations is judged by the level and
extent of education they reach.”
His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahyan
11. According to UNESCO's World Data on
Education:
The main objectives of education include:
• "Education [as a] major factor in the
achievement of stability and national
security,”
• Educational institutions' efficiency,
• Adopting the principle of equal opportunity
for all levels and stages of education,
• Prioritizing the eradication of illiteracy "since
it affects society and its growth” (pg.2).
14. At this point, the United Arab Emirates populate is about ten
percent of the total population. By far, the majority of the jobs in
the country are held by more-qualified foreigners.
Emirati Expatriates
Editor's Notes
This is a presentation regarding the rational behind the United Arab Emirates (UAE) adopting a policy of state-funded higher education.Around 40 years ago, the United Arab Emirates had a chance to re-create its education system as desired, and chose to include state-funded higher education for all citizens.
The presentation will address the historical background of the educational system, a description of the current policies, and discussion on the current state. The conclusion will be that the decision was sound, and while it may be a while before the education system of the UAE is where the gov't desires it to be, the original inclusion of state-funded higher education has helped the UAE move further towards its goal for an educated and qualified nation than it otherwise would have been.
The United Arab Emirates is located along the Gulf of Oman to the north, Qatar to the west, Saudi Arabia to the southwest, and Oman to the east. It is a convenient stopping point directly between Europe and Asia, and historically has been a key trading point.Due to its importance along the trade route, the UAE was under the British rule and protection until the British could no longer afford the military costs (Williams, 2011). In the late 1970s,The British’s decided to withdraw from their treaty, which spurred the Emirates to unite and become an independent nation.
There are seven emirates, which are: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Umm Al Quwain, and Ajman. The largest by far is Abu Dhabi, followed by Dubai. Abu Dhabi claims around ten percent of the world’s oil reserves, and outputs 94 percent of the oil from the UAE. It is these oil reserves that gave the country a major resource boost, enabling the government to design plans and policies for their nation, knowing the funding was available to do as needed.
Previous to this oil boom,The United Arab Emirates had a very modest and underdeveloped educational structure.The majority of the students that attended school were male, and often families sent the oldest son for an education while the other children helped at home.Classes were primarily held at the local mosque, or at the closest one available
Education became a little more formalized in the early 1900s with the pearling trade and Arabian influences, but it was in 1971, with the discovery and demand for oil, that the economy vastly improved, and a great deal of value was placed on education.
Quoted in OHEPP, pg. 9With an impressive regard for the future of the nation and citizens, the new president knew that if the young country was to be independently strong and modernized, there would have to be an emphasis on education.
Additionally:Aspects of regulations and laws that are pertinent to the topic of higher education and its importance include:The availability of education for every citizen.Making primary education, which consists of the first nine years, compulsory Having every level of education free for U.A.E. nationals (UNESCO, pg. 3-4)
Previous methods in the classroom were based on rote learning, unmodernized information resulting in closed-minded nationals, and very little discipline in the classroom. For the sake of the country’s sustainability, new methods have been employed that will focus on preparing students for the workplace, such as critical thinking, open-mindedness, technological competence, and languages (El Nemr, 2007).
Even with the progress that has been made, the United Arab Emirates is still facing issues that will not be solved quickly.With the introduction of oil wealth and a new, booming economy, the country quickly became desirable to foreigners looking to profit in the new, rising society. Within a very short amount of time, the U.A.E. came to depend on these qualified, foreign workers who could help strengthen the country’s economy.
This diagram is not literally sound, but in truth, because of the lack of qualified national workers, the country could not and cannot afford to limit the influx of internationals and the skills they bring (Casey, 2012).
