"Education is like a lantern that lights up your way."
- Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan
Since its establishment, the UAE has focused on education as a means of development and prosperity. However, during the past eight years, there have been four different education strategies, all of which were supposedly focused on the student.
In 2002, ‘Education Strategy 2020' was launched. This strategy aimed to meet the requirements of the comprehensive development of the UAE. It focused on developing public and private education, evaluating the national curriculum, introducing computer applications and Emiratisation. In addition, the strategy authorised educational zones all over the UAE to act on behalf of the ministry on many issues to ensure quality education.
About three years later a new strategy was introduced and it stated that the only way to help the UAE society develop a diversified economy was through revolutionary changes in education. The strategy called for an entirely new educational system that was to be based on international standards. Also, the strategy claimed that the UAE would face severely negative consequences if the changes were not implemented. For example, there would be a generation of graduates from public institutions who would not be capable of participating effectively in the economy because they would lack skills in English, IT, communication and leadership.
Take three
A couple of years later, a third minister of education launched a new strategy that promoted the concept of ‘Education for Life' and focused on creating a modern system based on the best international standards. The new strategy included four key policies. The first was the launch of a new comprehensive evaluation process in parallel with a full national review of curricula and teaching methods. The second policy was to accelerate the decentralisation of power from the ministry to educational bodies and schools. The third policy was to introduce a new human resources system for all ministry employees. The final policy called for a full review of school buildings.
Recently, the current minister of education introduced a new education strategy for 2010-2020. This focuses on preparing students for their future careers through several strategic initiatives. These include: defining national standards for exams based on international criteria; establishing a public school license programme; establishing a private schools accreditation programme; accommodating students with disabilities; and increasing competition among students. According to the ministry, the new strategy is compatible with the most advanced education practices in the US, Singapore, Canada, Australia and Finland.
The aforementioned education strategies have each required the allocation of substantial budgets. Considerable time was also invested in making ministry staff and the public aware of the objectives of each strategy, conducting training sessions for teachers and administrators, reviewing and continuously changing many parts of the curriculum, and recruiting foreign experts and teachers to assist in achieving the vision laid out.
At the centre of each of these strategies — and the measure of success — is the student. Currently, a student can attend one of three different types of public schools: traditional, model and future. There are no clear educational links between the three types. In addition, students are controlled by three different educational bodies in the UAE: the Ministry of Education; education councils in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah and Fujairah; and the Higher Education Council.
As an Emirati citizen, I wish the Ministry of Education had adopted just one strategy instead of several. I wish also that the ministry had been transparent with us as its stakeholders and told us why one particular strategy had replaced another. From my perspective, the challenge has been clear for a long time: how can we best prepare our students so that they are ready for higher education and ultimately the labour market? All education strategies since 2002 have been established to answer that question. However, none of them was given sufficient time. Will the new education strategy for 2010-2020 be given the time to accomplish its objectives?
John F. Kennedy once said, "Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation." As an Emirati and a parent, my hope and dream is to fully understand the future direction of our education system and to witness the full implementation of the latest development strategy, without it being prematurely terminated.
Abdullah Al Shaiba is an Emirati academic.