An important measure of the health of any nation is its success at university and college education, where its young people learn to think for themselves and gather the skills that will launch them into their careers. The UAE has an excellent range of universities, in both the private and government sectors, but the challenge they face is expanding quickly enough to cope with the rapidly-growing Emirati population that is seeking university courses. It is an important indicator of the government universities’ determination to remain at the highest level that they have not dropped their academic standards to cope with the rush, which would turn them into a social service rather than universities. Therefore, it is inevitable that more Emiratis are seeking university education.
It is important that all educational institutions are accredited properly. The UAE Ministry of Higher Education has a rigorous procedure in place, which has weeded out the less-scrupulous operators in the sector.
If some institutions start accepting students in the expectation of accreditation, then it needs to make it clear to the students that they are taking a risk. It is also important that any international university operating in the UAE is fully accredited by the regulators in its home country. It is onerous on the operators’ part to seek both UAE and home accreditation, but that is a necessity of the environment in which they operate. UAE accreditation is necessary so that the growing number of students in the country can use their new skills in their own country.
