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Higher Demand for Higher Education in the UAE |
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One of the most promising developments in the world of education in recent years has been the continued expansion of the education sector in the United Arab Emirates. This growth has not only been confined to secondary schools, where numbers have historically been bolstered by Dubai’s expatriate workers, but has also spread, in turn, to the tertiary sector, with the UAE now hosting an estimated 54,000 students for various university degrees, the majority from countries in Asia and the Gulf region. This development has been precipitated, at least in part, by the shifting needs of the labour market. The UAE’s push to become a leader in Islamic finance, for instance, has led a number of private universities to create their own Islamic finance programmes. Demand for graduates in traditional areas of the economy such as the energy industry, has also created an opportunity in the education sector that international institutions have been only too keen to grasp. Emirati graduates are in demand, and it is hoped that the creation of new study programmes will provide them with the chance to cultivate their links, and in some cases undergo in-house training, with the country’s leading energy companies. The presence of a number of international branch campuses (at least 13 different countries are represented), as well as homegrown providers, makes for a wide variety of degree programmes, and is attracting both Emiratis and students from around the world. Moreover, the exponential growth in the number of university providers over the course of the last decade has meant that the UAE is growing ever closer to its goal of converting to a knowledge-based economy. Although the impact of these changes is yet to be fully realised, it is clear that the increased importance of the education sector has brought with it a series of positive developments, not the least of which is the growing interest in study on the part of Arab women. The fact that higher-level education is now a viable option for more and more of the population means that demand for places is high, competition is tough and academic excellence is a pre-requisite for any institution hoping to survive. Indeed, many commentators predict that the sector will most likely continue to grow even in the event of an economic downturn. This furthermore makes the UAE an attractive place to study, with inspiring surroundings and likeminded neighbours. |
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