Education system has seen great strides

Dubai: The UAE, like the rest of the Gulf countries, practised simple tools of education before the oil era; for example ‘Mutawa classes' were widely practised in all the emirates, with separate classes for male and female students, mainly to educate students on the essential elements of Islam.

This type of education was commonly practised by the vast majority of Emiratis for a long time, male and female Emirati teachers were entitled to conduct such classes and were selected based on their knowledge of the Quran and known locally as mutawa (it means a person who has sufficient knowledge of Islam and also must be treated with dignity by the community.)

Mutawa is a title for a male teacher, while mutawa'a is a title for a female teacher. These teachers are known for their ability to memorise the Quran and the Hadith (sayings) of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) as well as their overall knowledge of Islam.

Fee

Children gave a small amount of money or sometimes food or clothes to the Mutawa as a fee for their classes. However, this kind of education wasn't taken so seriously by the UAE people and therefore when a girl, for example, got married at a very young age, sometimes 12 or 13, she had to drop the classes and become a full-time housewife.

Mutawa education continued until the beginning of the discovery of oil and then gradually disappeared.

In 1907 to 1953, pearl merchants in the UAE were influenced by the Arabian reform.

They launched enlightening schools and brought scientists to conduct and control the general process of education. One of the popular developed schools in Sharjah was the Taimia Mahmoudia which opened in 1907.

The Al Otaiba School was founded in Abu Dhabi in 1930 and was followed by similar schools in the rest of the emirates. The Al Qasimia Reformation School was established in Sharjah in 1935 and considered the first systematic school in the UAE.

Education in 1953 witnessed the first systematic school year with classes, exams and accredited certificates.

The comprehensive launch practically happened on December 2, 1971 when the seven emirates were announced a united country. Federal Ministries were established and the Ministry of Education and Youth was in charge of different educational stages. A series of public schools were built. In 1976 Al Ain witnessed the birth of the first university in the UAE known as the United Arab Emirates University.

Today, the UAE offers up-to-date education for all male and female students equally, from kindergarten to university, and the government sector provides free education for all Emiratis.

Great efforts have been accomplished since the establishment of the federation, and 2009 is witnessing even more challenges in order to extensively equip Emirati students with the most advanced education to meet the selective international standards of the job market.