New strategies are needed

The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research recently announced the important aspects of its higher education strategy, which classifies the ministry as a services agency.

The statement asserts the importance of offering the best services so that the ministry can gain "customer satisfaction" as a key step toward excellence. The main stages of the new strategy include improving employee performance, developing a comprehensive on-job training plan and establishing a systematic process for internal assessment.

Transformation through research

In my view, these new aspects of the strategy will transform the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research from an institution of planning, supervising and controlling higher education policies into a services ministry that is responsible for accreditation and recognition. This development will affect the process of higher education and scientific research in the UAE, which has already been marked with weaknesses for a long time.

Most people know that since the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research was established in 1992, it has been directing the planning and implementation of higher education policies in the UAE.

Among its many responsibilities the ministry works administratively, promotes awareness of issues, advocates for funding and coordinates through a number of specially established departments the important aspects of the higher education sector.

The ministry has to a certain degree effectively accomplished these objectives. However, two major issues still remain questionable: research and the output of students from higher education institutions.

For many years, particularly the last two fiscal years, the UAE Council of Ministers has been approving the biggest budgets for education and higher education. However, there has been no clear allocation for educational research in either the Ministry of Education or the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

Since the establishment of the ministry, there has been no clear and defined educational research that can contribute to the planning process of higher education in the UAE. Some higher education institutions have conducted research internally within an institution but their findings are not shared, nor they are publicly published.

Ministry coordination

The second issue is the relationship between the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and higher education institutions.

Observers have noticed that recent years have witnessed a clear and strategic collaboration between both ministries in order to ease the educational transition. This relationship aims to prepare UAE national students in certain areas during their general education years in order to meet the requirements of higher education programmes.

This progress will undoubtedly benefit society in general and the education industry in particular. However, what is still missing is the effective role of the ministry in implementing a national strategy for the output of higher education institutions in order to meet the needs of society in general and the local labour market in particular.

UAE graduates and the job market

Arguments have been increasing about the outcome and quality of national graduates who are not, in many cases, ready for employment. This situation has resulted in an increasing number of unemployed national graduates. Most employers claim that national graduates lack proficiency in English, IT knowledge, critical thinking, leadership, time management, teamwork and communication skills required for many positions.

In the public sector, the United Arab University, the Higher Colleges of Technology and Zayed University offer various programmes preparing national graduates to enter the labour market equipped with the necessary skills. However, the programmes employed to prepare national graduates for employment in private and local higher education institutions is not clear.

Future role

The role of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research within the new higher education strategy needs to be more effective in the area of educational research and in preparing national graduates for employment within private higher education institutions. The UAE needs a national educational research agenda that deals with all important and relevant issues in order to facilitate the decision-making process and planning.

I also believe that the ministry needs to redefine its mission as an "administrative coordinating agency for higher education". With 50 higher education institutions in the UAE, I encourage the ministry to be more than just a "services ministry" that grants accreditation and recognition to private higher education institutions and play a more influential role in addressing the two area of weakness.

The first is to establish higher education programmes within private universities and colleges relevant to the employment needs of the UAE labour market. The second issue is to identify the skills that need to be acquired by the national graduate on the completion of their higher education studies.

In short the UAE graduate needs a national vision, which identifies prominent educational issues, in addition to identifying the potentials of the ideal national graduate.

— The writer is a UAE national academic and thinker