Project 3 essay

The Past and Present of the Education System in the UAE

Introduction

The education system is a critical part of any government or country. The future of a country is really decided on how good the education system is, with a really good education system you create human beings who are ready for the future. Countries should mostly invest on its citizens, educating, and giving knowledge to the people. The people should be the first priority, with satisfying the people, you will be gaining a strong bonding between the people and the country. The main purpose of this essay is to cover the importance of the education system and how it changed over time in the UAE. 

This essay will be divided into six parts. First, I will start with the importance of the education system and why I chose the education system as my artifact. The second part will be about the past of the education system in the UAE. Third, I will speak about the current education system and how it works. Fourth, I will talk about the current issues with the education system. Fifth I will speak about the solutions to fix these issues. In the end I will conclude the essay with a summary about the whole essay.

How Important is the Education System (Background Information)

The reason I chose this essay is because I think that the education system is the most important part of someone's life. The way of thinking as a child comes through the education system. I believe that important cultural ideas and cultural ways are taught through the education system. Understanding your own culture and knowing your culture is a crucial part of your identity. The majority of the people are shaped through their high school or even through their university life, and that makes the education system one of the most important things that a country should develop and invest in the most. The future of a country depends on the thinking of its people before anything. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the past ruler of the UAE, once said, “Education is like a lantern which lights your way in a dark alley.” 

How the Education System Began in the UAE (History)

The UAE was united under one ruler (The Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan) in the year of 1971, Six of the seven Emirates were united: AbuDhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Umm Al Quwain, Fujairah and Ajman. In 1972 Ras Al Khaimah joined the alliance (Gaad et al. 2006). Education Services were accessible before the collusion of the UAE, anyway the framework depended on an alternate type of training. Self-considering was one of the genuine methods for training. The instructive framework frequently set a solid accentuation on strict guidance and the comprehension of information through association with others. Apprenticeships were a typical method for showing aptitude based information. A great deal of data was passed down from age to age through oral and composed settings. Conventional instructive structures, for example, instructor understudy connections were likewise obvious(Alhebsi et al. 2015).

The Current Education System (Present)

In the UAE, education is compulsory for all Emiratis children aged five and above, including expat residents. Primary and secondary education in state institutions is provided free for every UAE national up to the age of 18 (“The Education System in UAE – School Structure and Admissions”). The UAE has a wide range of both public and private universities. UAE citizens can attend government institutions free of charge, UAE University, Zayed University, and other public schools. The UAE has one of the highest application participation rates in the world (“Education in the UAE”). Continuing the technology-in-education focus is the Vision 2021 National Agenda , through which the UAE seeks to develop an excellent education system by completely transforming the current education system and teaching methods. The National Agenda aims for all schools and tertiary institutions as well as students to be equipped with Smart systems as a basis for all teaching methods, projects and research (“The Education System in UAE – School Structure and Admissions”).

The Issues With the Education System (Issues)

The issue isn’t so much the fact that students don’t have the ability or aptitude to learn, they do, what the school curriculum lacks is the use of a strategic approach to teaching, a holistic approach works better than just forcing content, boring and unfamiliar complex content at students who have yet to master and understand the basics of reading and writing correctly before they begin to run (Bollag 2016). I believe that there should be more critical thinking courses in highschool. With more critical thinking classes it will help teenage students be more ready in real life situations. The system should force students to work socially and increase their interaction with hands on work (Cameron 2006).

The Future Vision of the Education System (Solutions)

In order to achieve Vision 2021, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum , vice president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, announced eight pillars of development: to be among the top 20 countries with the highest performance in the Programme of International Student Assessment (PISA) test 2; to be among the top 15 countries with the highest performance in Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS); to ensure that all schools (public and private) in the UAE have high-quality teachers; to ensure that all schools (public and private) have highly effective leadership; to ensure that 90 per cent of students in the ninth grade of public and private schools have a high proficiency in Arabic; to increase the high school graduation rate to 98 per cent; to provide early years education to 95 per cent of children aged between four and five through public and private preschool provisions; to eliminate the need for Emirati students to complete a foundation course to qualify for university entry (“The UAE Reforms Education System as Part of Vision 2021” 2020). Also, the AMEInfo states that:

We are living in a global society. The world is fast shrinking due to the expansion of technology parameters that have invaded our lives on every level. Research has proved that students who are exposed to diversity and inclusion in the classroom are better able to improve their critical thinking skills; a crucial element needed for the workforce of the future. Such students gain experiences from intercultural interactions that enable them to compete in the 21st-century global economy. Universities are increasingly implementing strategies that introduce a diverse curriculum for learning, based on the development of new technological skills and soft skills needed in today's dynamic labor market. (AMEinfo 2019)

Conclusion and Future Direction

To conclude this paper I want to summarize the whole paper. In the start of the essay I began with some background information and why I am choosing the education system as my artifact. I chose it because I believe that it is an important part of someone's life. Then I spoke about the history to give an idea about where the education system of the UAE came from. Later, I transitioned to the present education system of the UAE. Later on, I spoke about some issues about the current education system. In the end, I finished the paper by speaking about the vision and the future of the education system of the UAE.

Works Cited

Alhebsi, Ali, Pettaway, Lincoln, Waller, Lee “A History of Education in the United Arab Emirates and Trucial Sheikdoms.” THE GLOBAL ELEARNING JOURNAL, vol. 4, no. 1, 2015, pp. 1–6.

Al Nahyan, Zayed. Order to the Chancellor of UAE University. 1987, UAE University

AMEinfo. “UAE Education Systems Gearing for Future Workforce.” AMEinfo, 7 Mar. 2019, www.ameinfo.com/industry/education/uae-education-future-workforce

Bollag, Burton. “UAE Higher Education: The Struggle for Quality.” Al-Fanar Media, 22 Sept. 2016, www.al-fanarmedia.org/2016/09/unflattering-view-uae-higher-education/ .

Cameron, John. “Educational Failure in the United Arab Emirates and the Potential for Growing Discontent in a Geo-Politically Important Country.” Education-Line, 17 Sept. 2006.

“Education in the UAE.” Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, www.uae-embassy.org/about-uae/education-uae .

Gaad, Eman, Scott, Fentey, Arif, Mohammed “Systems Analysis of the UAE Education System.” Emerald Insight, 1 June 2006, www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/09513540610665405/full/html .

“The Education System in UAE – School Structure and Admissions.” Myprivatetutor, www.myprivatetutor.ae/blog/education-system-uae-school-structure-admissions .

“The UAE Reforms Education System as Part of Vision 2021.” Fanack, 6 Jan. 2020, fanack.com/education/uae-reforms-education-system/.