Dubai: A national programme to integrate innovation and entrepreneurship into the curriculums of both public and private higher education institutions in the UAE was launched by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The new programme has been developed in collaboration with Stanford University in the US.
The initiative aims to develop higher education programmes to help meet the country’s human resource requirements and produce the specialised talent needed for the next phase of the UAE’s development.
At the launch event organised by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in Dubai, Shaikh Mohammad said, “Our objective is to prepare the new generation for the future, for a new world that requires different skills.”
He added, “Developing the right educational curriculums and tools will support the UAE in maintaining its global competitiveness over the next decade. The coming generations will be required to develop the skills of innovation, analysis and entrepreneurship to keep pace with the rapid changes in technology. Public education is our next target for change.”
Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, said that the leadership’s directives to develop the education sector, in particular higher education, reflects the UAE’s efforts to prepare the new generation for meeting the challenges created by rapid changes.
He indicated that the redeveloped curricula of innovation and entrepreneurship will be introduced in universities in January 2016. This is a key step, he said, towards achieving the goals of the National Innovation Strategy and aspects of UAE Vision 2021.
The launch was attended by Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Chairman of the National Committee for Science, Technology and Innovation, and other officials.
The scope of the new programme includes the development of innovation and entrepreneurship curriculums, the training of university faculty to teach these curriculums, workshops to raise awareness among teachers and university professors about the programme, symposiums and visits to Stanford University and Silicon Valley. The programme will also facilitate direct interactions between UAE university professors and Stanford University experts.
Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince, and Shaikh Maktoum Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, were also present at the event.
