Much has been achieved in the education sector since the federation was formed in 1971. Today, the UAE offers a comprehensive education to all male and female students from kindergarten to university, with education for the country’s citizens being provided free at all levels. There is also an extensive private education sector, while several thousand students, of both sexes, pursue courses of higher education abroad at Government expense.
However, despite the steady investment in education over the years, government policy is focusing on the need for an overhaul of the system, especially at primary and secondary levels, to meet the needs of a knowledge-based economy and to bring the system in line with international best practices. In pursuit of this goal, the UAE Ministry of Education adopted Education 2020, a series of five-year plans designed to introduce advanced education techniques, improve innovative skills, and focus more on the self-learning abilities of students. Funding has been allocated to support the strategy’s ambitious objectives and the UAE hopes to train 10,000 public school teachers within five years, while also pursuing its stated goal of reaching 90 per cent emiratisation of its staff by 2020.