The Foresight of the Sheik: State-Funded Higher Education in the

United Arab Emirates

Jana Kathryn JohanssenSIT Graduate Institute

Pim 71January IELR

18 August, 2011

The Matrix Indicators

• Matrix Indicators: • Field Focus- higher education• Scope- national• Lens- qualitative• Viewpoint- education for transformation• Timeframe- when the education policy was

formed• Variables- financial resources, access, and

equality. • Basis- social action research

Thesis

The Sheik of the United Arab Emirates, along with the new government, used great

foresight to include higher education in the government-funded education

system, specifically when considering that the country's purpose for schooling is to prepare students for their role in the global economy.

The Historical Background

“Traditional pearling boat as modeled by Thomas Tucker, WSSU” (Hawker, 2012)

"The wealth of any nation is its intellectuals and the progress of peoples and nations is judged by the level and

extent of education they reach.” His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahyan

The Current Policies

According to UNESCO's World Data on Education:

The main objectives of education include:

• "Education [as a] major factor in the achievement of stability and national security,”

• Educational institutions' efficiency,

• Adopting the principle of equal opportunity for all levels and stages of education,

• Prioritizing the eradication of illiteracy "since it affects society and its growth” (pg.2).

The Current State

At this point, the United Arab Emirates populate is about ten percent of the total population. By far, the majority of the jobs in

the country are held by more-qualified foreigners.

Emirati Expatriates