The number of Emiratis leaving home to study at universities in the US almost halved between 2015 and 2023 amid concerns about safety, gun control and tuition fees.
In 2023, there were 1,502 Emiratis studying at American higher education institutions, a significant drop from 2,920 students in 2015-16, according to the Institute of International Education's Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange.
The trend is a continuous one, with 2016's total dropping to 2,753 in 2017 and then to 1,737 in 2020 before 2023's low. In the same period, the number of Americans studying in the UAE jumped to 1,176 in 2022, from 718 in 2015.
Young Emiratis worried about school shootings and hate crimes
For Noora Almatrooshi, 16, attending a US university was a dream as a child but she decided not to follow this dream due to safety concerns and will be studying in the UAE.
“With so many school shootings a year, safety has definitely decreased, especially involving hate crimes against Muslims and Arabs,” said Ms Almatrooshi, an Emirati pupil in Abu Dhabi.
“I think it's definitely a scary experience to go there alone, when you aren’t even safe walking on the street. I feel if I were to ever go there to study that I would never feel safe.
“When I was younger, I had this picture-perfect idea of studying in the US. But once I grew up, I faced the reality. For my own well-being and my own peace of mind, I decided to stay in the UAE.”
The pupil hopes to start her studies in political science this autumn.
“When engaging in conversations with my peers, we all have this stigma towards going to the US especially now with everything going on in the world … and how Arabs and Muslims are being perceived in the US. All of us agreed that this is not somewhere we want to go.”
She said the war in Gaza had also made an impact.
“It's definitely the war going on and how [US President] Joe Biden made his stance on that very clear. I think that's what shifted at least my graduating class,” Ms Almatrooshi said.
Crunching the numbers
According to American nonprofit group Gun Violence Archive, the number of deaths caused by gun violence in the US rose to 18,854 in 2023, from 12,356 in 2014, while the number of deaths from mass shootings increased to 656 in 2023, from 272 in 2014.
Hate crime in the US also appears to be on the rise, according to the latest official data.
Figures from the FBI show there were 11,634 cases of reported hate crime in 2022, compared with 10,840 in 2021, of which race-based and religious-based crimes were the most common.
The way the US is perceived was also an issue raised in a regional poll taken last year among young people, which showed more than half wanted the US to be less involved in the Middle East.
The Arab Youth Survey 2023 polled the views of 3,600 people aged between 18 and 24 through a series of interviews across 18 countries in the Middle East and North Africa.
It found that a third of young Arabs believe the US had the most influence in the region, while 61 per cent said they supported US disengagement from Middle Eastern affairs.
Costs pushing Emirati students away
Reema Menon, director of Counselling Point in Dubai, said many Emirati students were gravitating away from going to the US due to safety concerns “as the gun culture is still not controlled”.
“When a family is sending a child abroad, their safety is of paramount importance,” she said.
“But the reason why there is a significant dip in numbers is because the cost is prohibitive. With all other associated costs, such as housing and insurance and everything put together, it comes to a significant amount of money.
“There are other options available in European countries and families are looking at newer options.”
On average, the tuition fees for undergraduate degrees in the US cost between $25,000 to $60,000 a year. However, in the Netherlands, international students from outside the EU can expect to pay between $6,400 to $16,100 a year.
Vandana Mahajan, founder of Futures Abroad, an education consultancy in the Emirates, also said the main issue was cost.
“In the US, they're finding that the cost is prohibitive. Inflation has peaked and there are no suitable opportunities for international students,” she said.
Better options at UAE universities
Another factor to consider is the improvement of universities in the UAE, with more accredited degree programmes now on offer than ever before meaning Emiratis can receive a world class education at home.
Robin Solomon, counsellor for public affairs at the US embassy in Abu Dhabi, said: “We see this downward trend and it predates Covid, so it's not something we can attribute to Covid.
“Emirati parents and educators continue to be drawn to the US, so what has changed? One thing we know for sure is that the numbers of Emiratis going to the US can be linked to really notable improvements in the UAE's higher education system.”
Ms Solomon also moved to assure Emiratis that US cities and towns were “welcoming and safe”.
“With regards to gun violence, this is an ongoing debate and concern in the US. The US continues to welcome many Emirati students,” she said.
“They continue to find US universities and US cities and towns welcoming and safe places to live, work and study. There are terrible, tragic examples that are exceptions to that.
“The concerns, I can guarantee, are being discussed in American homes, being discussed all around the world, with students and parents and educators for whom the US system of higher education has great appeal, but for whom there are very deeply felt concerns for safety.”
While the number of Emiratis heading to the US for studies is on the decline, the number of US citizens studying at universities in the Emirates has jumped to 1,176 in 2022, from 718 in 2015.
Ms Solomon said she had seen greater interest from Americans interested in studying in the UAE because of improvements in the higher education system.
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Match info
Deccan Gladiators 87-8
Asif Khan 25, Dwayne Bravo 2-16
Maratha Arabians 89-2
Chadwick Walton 51 not out
Arabians won the final by eight wickets
SWEET%20TOOTH
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'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
RESULTS
6.30pm: Meydan Sprint Group 2 US$175,000 1,000m
Winner: Ertijaal, Jim Crowley (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihe (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap $60,000 1,400m
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8.15pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes Group 3 $200,000 2,000m
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8.50pm: Zabeel Mile Group 2 $250,000 1,600m
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9.25pm: Handicap $125,000 1,600m
Winner: Capezzano, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer
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U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
- Saturday 15 January: UAE beat Canada by 49 runs
- Thursday 20 January: v England
- Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad:
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles
Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly,
Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya
Shetty, Kai Smith
'Brazen'
Director: Monika Mitchell
Starring: Alyssa Milano, Sam Page, Colleen Wheeler
Rating: 3/5
The biog
First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974
Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008
Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen
Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region
Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
HOW DO SIM CARD SCAMS WORK?
Sim swap frauds are a form of identity theft.
They involve criminals conning mobile phone operators into issuing them with replacement Sim cards, often by claiming their phone has been lost or stolen
They use the victim's personal details - obtained through criminal methods - to convince such companies of their identity.
The criminal can then access any online service that requires security codes to be sent to a user's mobile phone, such as banking services.
Score
Third Test, Day 2
New Zealand 274
Pakistan 139-3 (61 ov)
Pakistan trail by 135 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the innings
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Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
Kandahar%20
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
How to invest in gold
Investors can tap into the gold price by purchasing physical jewellery, coins and even gold bars, but these need to be stored safely and possibly insured.
A cheaper and more straightforward way to benefit from gold price growth is to buy an exchange-traded fund (ETF).
Most advisers suggest sticking to “physical” ETFs. These hold actual gold bullion, bars and coins in a vault on investors’ behalf. Others do not hold gold but use derivatives to track the price instead, adding an extra layer of risk. The two biggest physical gold ETFs are SPDR Gold Trust and iShares Gold Trust.
Another way to invest in gold’s success is to buy gold mining stocks, but Mr Gravier says this brings added risks and can be more volatile. “They have a serious downside potential should the price consolidate.”
Mr Kyprianou says gold and gold miners are two different asset classes. “One is a commodity and the other is a company stock, which means they behave differently.”
Mining companies are a business, susceptible to other market forces, such as worker availability, health and safety, strikes, debt levels, and so on. “These have nothing to do with gold at all. It means that some companies will survive, others won’t.”
By contrast, when gold is mined, it just sits in a vault. “It doesn’t even rust, which means it retains its value,” Mr Kyprianou says.
You may already have exposure to gold miners in your portfolio, say, through an international ETF or actively managed mutual fund.
You could spread this risk with an actively managed fund that invests in a spread of gold miners, with the best known being BlackRock Gold & General. It is up an incredible 55 per cent over the past year, and 240 per cent over five years. As always, past performance is no guide to the future.
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
TV: World Cup Qualifier 2018 matches will be aired on on OSN Sports HD Cricket channel
