Allowing low achievers to fail could help Emiratis reach new heights, experts said of a study tackling a notion that UAE nationals do not work hard.
Speaking at a three-day education summit in Ras Al Khaimah on Monday, where the study was presented, experts said the bias exists in both in the teaching community and in the job market.
They said some employers are under the impression that Emirati students do not strive for excellence in school and university and will not give their 100 per cent when employed.
Hamza Zaouali, head of Iris Executives, a recruiter specialising in Emiratisation, said it was not uncommon to hear comments that Emiratis would not work as hard as non-nationals.
“There is a clear misconception indeed. As a headhunting firm solely specialising the Emiratisation market, we know first-hand that this can't be further from the truth,” he said.
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“It would be too easy and simplistic to say that the problem of non-performing Emiratis is their attitude. A person’s attitude is influenced by their background and environment. So it is critical that we look into the environments we are creating and promoting in our organisations whether educational or professional.”
Mr Zaouali said his firm seldom struggled to find quality Emirati profiles, but asked educational institutions and organisations to think about how to raise the standard for low performers.
“I do not believe that an environment where you can't ‘lose’ can induce sustainable success and release people's full potential. If you're in a school system where you can't really fail or if you're in a job where you can't really be terminated for low performance or attendance, then how can we expect some Emiratis to care enough and to develop grit?
“Employers, private and Government, and education professionals should consider allowing low performers to fail, for their own good. Not taking things for granted pushes people to constantly get out of their comfort zone and reach out to new heights.”
School inspections have begun identifying the number of Emiratis in private schools and their progress.
The UAE government has also repeatedly encouraged locals to apply for jobs in the private sector.
Moneer Moukaddem outlined alternatives for how to bridge the gap in a book based on the provocatively-titled study: It's Useless. They're Emirati: Exploring Teacher Perceptions of Emirati Student Attainment in UAE Private School to be released later this month.
“The government has a clear vision and is taking steps to monitor the attainment of Emirati students. Teachers also adapt teaching styles and references to get the lesson going.
I’m not saying we want Emirati students just to get higher grades. I’m saying 10-15 years down the line if this problem is ignored it will have potentially drastic implications on Emirati society and this is a real issue especially with Emirati males,” said Mr Moukaddem, a researcher with Nottingham University who works in a senior position at an Abu Dhabi private school.
“It is a potential social disaster if you have a big part of the population not educated and not interested in competing in the job market. We need honesty to address these issues.”
Research also links high literacy rates with improved health, low crime rate and social cohesion.
Teachers have previously voiced frustration regarding poor academic performance from some pupils who believe their nationality will ensure them jobs and upward mobility regardless of school results.
“This is where cultural competency comes in because we need to find motivational triggers from within their frame of reference,” Mr Moukaddem said.
“If teachers say, ‘Pay attention, do well in this exam so you can get into a good university and get a good job.’ It doesn’t work in this context. But tell pupil to concentrate and you will call their father with a positive phone call, then they will be motivated. This is because they are being promised a reward as against, ‘Listen to me now because in 10 years you will get accepted to a university.’ It’s about having a more flexible approach to culture.”
More on Quran memorisation:
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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The Two Popes
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Company%20Profile
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Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
