As His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, rightly said during the launch of the National Agenda — an extension of UAE Vision 2021 — we are on a “great journey” over the next seven years. I was particularly struck by His Highness’ emphasis on education and its pivotal role in our nation’s future.

 

Education is the bedrock of the UAE’s long-term economic success. With the right mix of quality institutions, teaching and ambition, it is the driving force behind developing the workforce needed for our private, public and not-for-profit sectors. Education prepares and develops workers throughout their careers, enabling them to thrive and be truly competitive. Currently ranked 19th in the Global Competitiveness Index, I believe that the UAE’s target of a top-10 ranking by 2021 is achievable, given that we have all of the ingredients — advanced infrastructure, healthy economic growth and strong and stable leadership to inspire innovation nationwide.

 

Education is also a vital building block of our nation, in which every Emirati should strive to excel, thereby ensuring that our future generations are equipped with the skills and knowledge to continue the UAE’s enduring success. The National Agenda sets a 2021 goal that K-12 graduates no longer need a university foundation year, which currently exists to equip them with English, IT and Mathematics skills necessary for undergraduate studies. Given that a significant percentage of K-12 graduates still require such a foundation year, a huge effort is needed to uplift the educational standards across our school system, including enhancing the curriculum, utilising advanced educational tools and technologies and better developing teachers. However, in terms of the quality and calibre of teachers, the target of 100 per cent being graded as “superior” poses a challenge as to what benchmark or methodology can determine this.

 

To contribute to the UAE’s long-term success, our education system itself must further embrace innovation, whether it is through emerging instructional techniques or the very latest in technology. Indeed, one of Shaikh Mohammad’s stated aims is to move education towards ‘smart learning’ and the National Agenda sets a target for the UAE to be ranked in the top-20 in Global Innovation Index, from a current 38th position. Given the UAE’s commitment to innovation across every segment of the economy, including education, this is well within our reach. Indeed, since 2012, the World Economic Forum has designated the UAE as an innovation-driven economy — the most advanced categorisation. Over its preceding 40 years, the UAE was classified as resource-driven and then an efficiency-driven economy.

 

However, such innovation also necessitates a serious commitment to research and development (R&D), which perhaps would be better termed as “research and business development”, if we consider the role that technology transfer has to play. The UAE’s plan to triple R&D spending by 2021, from the current base of 0.2 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), will still trail behind developed countries that allocate between 2-5 per cent of GDP for research. Regionally, Qatar allocates 2.8 per cent of its GDP towards research, considered to be the most audacious undertaking by a government that seeks regional leadership in research and innovation. As such, I believe that we should be bolder in our R&D commitment. I believe that an R&D target that reflects the UAE’s wider ambition requires a tenfold increase, to 2 per cent of GDP.

 

As we strive to deliver a ‘best in class’ education system, it is important to remember that no single system in the world offers the singularly ideal model. Rather, complementing our ‘home-grown’ innovation and approach, we should look to adopt the best of what we see in the pockets of educational success that exist across different parts of the globe, and seek ways to develop better, more efficient and pragmatic systems.

 

The UAE’s ambitions in relation to education are bold — and rightfully so, especially if we consider what has been achieved in such a short span of time. The sector has developed tremendously over the past 40 years. The country is now regarded to be the fourth most desired education destination in the world after the US, UK and Canada, surpassing emerging educational hubs such as Singapore and Malaysia, according to a recent DIAC/Deloitte study of more than 2,400 students from 17 countries. This result is mainly due to presence of the largest number of international branch campuses (IBCs) in the world, with more than 37 IBCs operating in the country, as well as employability where the UAE is considered the most active country in the region in terms of recruitment and talent attraction. Moreover, sustainable and healthy economic growth, advanced infrastructure, ease of visa issuance, safety and security and a host of other factors have contributed to their decision-making.

 

Despite this success, more can be done. The National Agenda presents us the opportunity to truly create a world-class education system, from pre-school through to university. Dubai will continue to forge its best-in-class approach to education, fostering Emirati talent and attracting the very best academics and academia that the world has to offer. We, at the forefront of education, are dedicated to realising — if not exceeding — the UAE’s ambitions for education.

 

Dr Ayoub Kazim is managing director of TECOM Investments’ Education Cluster, which includes Dubai International Academic City and Dubai Knowledge Village.

 

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