DUBAI // The Government will leave it to market forces to decide how many universities the UAE needs, the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research has said, indicating that those that cannot compete would have to close.
Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak said it was not for the authorities to restrict growth in the tertiary sector and insisted universities should be free to open and compete for students.
If growth is too rapid in the sector, it would be checked by the closure of unsuccessful institutions, he said.
Speaking outside the 17th meeting of presidents, vice presidents and directors of GCC higher education institutions, Sheikh Nahyan said branch campuses of overseas universities represented "healthy competition" for government institutions.
"It's like everything else in the UAE - it's open and the market determines supply and demand," Sheikh Nahyan said.
"It's not for us to say how many we need. If there are too many, they will stop.
"Hopefully the UAE will become a hub for good quality education for not only the UAE, but for the region and the Indian subcontinent, and will have many students from different parts of the world."
In a speech introducing the conference, Sheikh Nahyan said the continuous growth in student numbers meant maintaining university standards was a real challenge that had been accompanied by rapid growth of private universities.
"Here lies another challenge, which is to ensure the standards of quality in the performance of these private universities."
The higher education sector has expanded rapidly in recent years, partly due to the opening of free zones where branches can be set up without a licence from the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.
Dubai's free zones contain more than 25 local branches of foreign higher education institutions catering to 10,000 students.
Within a decade, there are expected to be 40 institutions with 40,000 students in the zones, while Ras al Khaimah hopes to have similar student numbers in its education free zone.
Some institutions have expressed concern about the rate of growth, warning that too much expansion could be detrimental to existing institutions.
Raymi van der Spek, vice president of administration at the University of Wollongong in Dubai, said the recent financial crisis showed the risks of unregulated markets, in whatever sector.
With 3,300 students at Knowledge Village, the university's branch campus is thought to be the largest in the UAE.
"That's an unregulated market coming to extremely poor decisions and outcomes," Mr van der Spek said.
"With the same model in terms of the tertiary education sector, I don't believe it would be remiss of Government to take a somewhat more active role in providing a regulatory environment that ensures that the numbers are right.
"No regulation will produce boom and bust and there will be no winners."
Prof Jim Mienczakowski, the head of higher education at the Abu Dhabi Education Council, said Sheikh Nahyan was right to suggest the Government could not place a limit on the number of universities.
"We will always need institutions to meet the current and future needs of the economy and the emirate. It's an expanding nation and it will need growth," Prof Mienczakowski said.
Prof Brian Smart, executive dean of the Dubai International Academic City campus of Heriot-Watt University, a Scottish institution, said that "even within this free zone there were checks to ensure quality was maintained".
"One word of caution we would give is that to start up is one thing, to be sustainable is another," Prof Smart said, adding that when institutions failed it meant students would have to find another university. "That's the one down side to letting the market decide."
dbardsley@thenational.ae
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
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
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● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
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Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
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UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
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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
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How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
Top 10 in the F1 drivers' standings
1. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 202 points
2. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-GP 188
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes-GP 169
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing 117
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 116
6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing 67
7. Sergio Perez, Force India 56
8. Esteban Ocon, Force India 45
9. Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso 35
10. Nico Hulkenberg, Renault 26
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
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