The UAE's education system has come a long way. But new research findings, and a series of reports appearing this week in The National, reveal that we still face systemic problems that demand urgent attention.
The appetite for change is apparent in existing plans for overhauling the system. The "new school model" will move us away from traditional rote learning. More schools will focus on English and vocational training to deliver the skills the workplace needs.
But new schools or systems are not enough. A study conducted for the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies reveals that almost a quarter of Emirati men aged 20 to 24 are high school dropouts unlikely to go back to school.
This is a worrying trend. The diversified modern knowledge economy we want, as well as the policy of Emiratisation, will demand every highly trained young Emirati we can find.
There is also a social dimension to this lost human potential: young Emirati women are far more likely than young men to go to university; this gap is believed to be contributing to a higher divorce rate.
The study on dropouts cites several reasons for the high attrition among males. They include uninspiring school environments; a lack of interesting, relevant subject options; and an absence of counselling.
Sometimes other options just seem better. The dropout rate "is a big issue for the Government because we see kids leaving to get into careers like the police and army, which they find more attractive," says Dr Abdalla Al Amiri, the adviser to the Minister of Education. Fortunately, police colleges have realised the importance of providing education to new recruits. But police departments should not have to be educating young people when school's fail.
Currently, the lure of secure jobs is winning out over the need for a degree. To reverse course, Emiratis will require role models in the classroom to convince them to stick with their studies. This is a challenge, again, for boys. Only six of the 150 Emiratis currently in training to be teachers are male. Higher salaries, and higher status within the system, could help balance this. Teachers, of course, cannot inspire students by themselves. Even the best teachers will fail if their calls for a lifetime of learning are not echoed by parents at home.
Education is the superhighway to job satisfaction and other personal goals. This nation's future is also riding on its success.
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The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
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