Education in the 21st century has at its core the promotion of original thought, creativity and innovation. The move away from rote learning and repetitive memorization of facts has helped engender a new culture of inspiring children to use their imaginations to find solutions to problems, and subsequently develop a confidence in one's decision-making, which will be a tremendous advantage throughout life. In Abu Dhabi, the emphasis on innovation is embedded in a number of strategic policies, including a call to build "an environment that fosters innovation, cultivates a healthy risk-taking culture and strengthens the research and development capacity" in the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030, and a call for an economic model of growth "driven by knowledge and innovation" in the Vision 2021. However, how does an education establishment begin the process of teaching creative learnings and problem solving? What skills are required by teaching staff and what availability of equipment is essential to this task?
Education encompasses curricula, institutions and infrastructure and is the foundation of human development. The UAE has long recognized the importance of bringing education to the forefront of development plans, with the aim of creating a diverse and competitive economy based on improving the efficiency and quality of educational output. These development plans include the UAE Vision 2021, the Abu Dhabi Vision 2030, and the Dubai Strategic Vision 2015. A forward-looking vision of education in the UAE entails a number of issues including recognition of the fact that the application of international experiences to UAE educational institutions will not necessarily provide the same results. Researchers have drawn attention to the need for inspiration from the country’s heritage of Islamic civilization and social values when formulating educational policy. To accomplish the objectives of these important development plans, all parties involved in the education process must be aware of what is required and speak with one voice. Therefore, the First Annual Education Conference of the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR), "Education in the UAE: Current Status and Future Developments," was held on 5–6 October, 2010, in order to respond to various challenges of educational advancement on which the success of the country’s goals over the coming decades depends. Such challenges include not only diversifying the student population, schools and curricula; improving the quality of the school environment; overcoming the limitations of traditional methods of education; creating effective approaches to development, evaluation and assessment; improving educational guidance for students; and achieving greater family involvement in the educational process in order to promote high levels of educational attainment, but also self-confidence, a strong sense of citizenship and a culture of moderation and tolerance. To this end, the UAE Ministry of Education has devised a ten-year strategic plan that aims to reform the education sector and raise student attainment by providing an environment conducive to educational excellence; promoting equal educational opportunities; strengthening nationals’ sense of citizenship; and improving administrative efficiency.
The UAE has taken concerted steps in order to ensure economic diversification of its key sectors as a means to ensure it is not entirely dependent on an oil/petroleum-based economy. Underpinning this diversification has been the commitment to the creation of a competitive knowledge-based economy, which, unlike agricultural and industrial economies, is not one that relies on natural/physical resources, but instead on a greater reliance on intellectual capabilities. All these requirements are dependent upon an effective education system. Various countries around the world have had great success at matching their education system to the demands of industry and society as well as incorporating the latest technology to improve education. However, exploiting the digital revolution does not stop at secondary education, and the tertiary level of learning can benefit enormously from such digital developments. As technology develops there are new ways to undertake learning and research and more flexible delivery of learning or faster and more sophisticated academic processes. The ubiquitous nature of the internet means that the use of this technology is part and parcel of our everyday life both in our personal and working life; therefore, it is an inevitability in education. Digital infrastructure can be defined as including technical services, technical standards, software tools, supporting policies, practice and regulatory frameworks. It allows for the appropriate creation, management and exploitation of information, resources and services to enable effective and high quality research and education. While more and more people involved in the educational process accept the notion that ICT has become part of our everyday life, and recognize the value of ICT as an enhancer for teaching and learning, there is an increasing demand for educators to have expertise in both their specific subject areas and competence in ICT. The essence of digital information and services, such as the worldwide web, means a whole new mode of operation and production of information, learning and research. It means there are new possibilities and a lot still yet to be imagined. Digital information can be replicated perfectly many times; add a network to that and it can be shared and accessed the world over; add the web to that and it can be viewed, annotated and linked to by anyone anywhere. Information technology not only facilitates how information is imparted in the learning environment, but also alters the relationships between participants in schools, colleges and universities, whether they by teachers, technicians or parents. Not only can more exciting and innovative forms of learning be created, but also the inclusion of all stakeholders in the learning process can be encouraged, which leads to greater understanding, encouragement of other ideas to stimulate learning, and ultimately a more rounded and educated individual and society.
For all countries, the greatest challenge to successful progress and development is fostering quality education. Through education and knowledge, economies develop, we become more civilized, societies prosper and the highest civilizational ambitions are realized. Thanks to the wisdom and insight of its leadership, the United Arab Emirates has recognized the challenge and what is needed to overcome it and excel. It has established schools, launched programs and mobilized all of its human and physical resources. Further, the UAE has drawn inspiration from successful international models and reproduced aspects of them, as it shapes its own education system. This has seen the UAE, in less than half a century, rank high on regional and international development indicators. The outstanding achievements made by the UAE in education, recorded in international reports and by specialized agencies, are not a matter of luck or coincidence. Rather, they are the result of decades of planning and serious efforts from public institutions invested in education. This publication includes several papers delivered at the conference ‘Education and Development: Investing in the Future,’ which was organized by the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR) in November 2016. The papers provide intellectuals, those interested in education and decision makers with rich and diverse material on the educational system and its goals in the UAE, which will help identify its mechanisms, characteristics and outlook for the future.
This book provides an overview of the evolution of education in the United Arab Emirates from its humble beginnings in palm frond huts, to today's proliferation of prestigious international schools and global university branch campuses. The chapter authors are academic experts who have extensive first-hand experience of contemporary developments in the country's various educational sectors. The book addresses innovations and transformations in Early Childhood Education, Higher Education, K-12 Schooling, Language Education in Arabic and English, Quality Assurance, Special Needs, STEM Education, and Teacher Education and Professional Development.
The UAE's successive breakthroughs in development since its establishment by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (may God rest his soul in peace) are a result of the country's continuous effort to enhance its education sector. Due to the global impact of rapid technological developments, the UAE understands the imperative need to advance and modernize education, to prepare its citizens for the demands of the future labor market. The Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR) is committed to supporting the vision and strategies of our wise leadership so that they may be realized on the ground. As education plays a vital role in achieving the UAE’s current goals of sustainable development, the ECSSR organized the 9th Annual Education Conference, ‘Advanced Education in a Changing World: The Education Strategy of the United Arab Emirates’. This book documents the proceedings of the Conference. Chapter one discusses the topic of leadership and innovative education, demonstrating some of its models and future trends. Chapter two looks at how the human brain functions, and ways that optimal educational opportunities can be provided to meet future requirements locally and internationally. Chapter three explores methods to prevent bullying through mentoring and counselling sessions, and provides an in-depth analysis of some measures that have been developed and adopted in this regard. Chapter four examines the Australian model of education with a focus on recent developments in the Australian educational context, efforts to establish professional standards for teachers, and teaching professional assessment instruments to measure graduating teachers’ attainment of standards. The chapter also highlights the Australian examination system, and its impact on the teaching profession. The chapter concludes with a discussion of some of the consequences of the above in the context of the educational experience in the United Arab Emirates. Chapter five sheds light on the German education system, with a particular focus on its outcomes and achievements, as well as the challenges facing it. The chapter also explores a number of implications for continuous development and strategic planning for the future, in order to design, develop and implement an innovative educational system.
