Lessons of the past are the force of tomorrow

The UAE celebrated its 44th National Day a few weeks ago, and it won’t be long before we mark the 50th year since the establishment of the union in 1971. Nearly every resident is familiar with the story of how the country came into existence. The collaborative efforts of Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan and Shaikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, may they rest in peace, and their dream of creating a strong nation and that is the driving force behind the union.

But how much do we know about the UAE when it was simply recognised as a collective of territories called the Trucial States? Some might be aware of the presence of the British in the region and the role they played in excavating and discovering oil in several Gulf states, including Abu Dhabi in the 1950’s. Beyond this, the vast majority know very little to nothing about the pre-oil era.

Several years ago in middle school, I vaguely recall spending a semester learning about the Portuguese colonial outreach in the Emirates, something about a war and a dozen dates. Just like most teenagers, this information was nothing more than material I had to memorise for my tests. But when I noticed that I know a lot more about the class system in Ancient Athens than I know about my homeland, I realised how much I took that class for granted.

So whose fault is that? Was it my fault for not being interested or the education system for not creating an interactive experience that encouraged me to learn more? It doesn’t matter because pointing fingers will not solve the problem.

The next step requires an initiative based on a co-operation between the Ministry of Education (MoE) and Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR). Besides history or social studies class, why not a class or university course that focuses solely on the history of the UAE? The new plan that MoE has set for public schools should not only incorporate this idea, but also expand it to include private schools in the journey towards the 2030 vision of a knowledge-based economy.

Why learn about the past as we head towards a better and brighter future? Well, the past is not only a source of lessons, but also a source of inspiration. It was Shaikh Zayed who once said: “Nobody can live the present without recalling the past. It is from history that we learn and acquire excellence.”

— The reader is an Emirati journalism student based in Sharjah.