03.1d Education in the UAE

Schools and Higher Education in the United Arab Emirates

Schools and Higher Education in the United Arab Emirates

Schools and Higher Education in the UAENext to security and the economy, investment in education is one of the highest priorities of the UAE government. In recent years, the United Arab Emirates have invested significant time, energy and funding in the development of their education sector and have introduced a wide variety of generous scholarships for local students.

In 2012 UAE Department of Higher Education in cooperation with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) set up a scholarship programme to fund foreign-exchange semesters of UAE students in Germany. At the beginning of September 2011, Zayed University openend a new campus in Abu Dhabi with the capacity to welcome thousands of students.

And it is not only the tertiary education sector which is reaching for new heights. The growth in academic competition through the increasing number of private schools and the integration of expat children at International Schools is resulting in stark improvements in primary and secondary schools across the board.

Institutions providing vocational education are also benefiting from the growth in investment. The mix of increased government funding and international support is ensuring that young people in the UAE have access to excellent vocational training and career prospects. Apart from the oldest university in the country, Al Ain, Zayed University in Abu Dhabi/Dubai and the University of Abu Dhabi, there are 17 technical universities and vocation training centres and a university funded by the state-wned Oil Corporation ADNOC, the Petroleum Institute Abu Dhabi. On top of this, international and local students have the opportunity to study at excellent, internationally competitive private universities and local campuses of international universities, such as the American University Sharjah and Dubai, Université Paris Sorbonne Abu Dhabi and New York University Abu Dhabi.

In 2010, the Masdar Institute for Science and Technology in cooperation with MIT (Cambridge, USA) opened a vocational training centre in Abu Dhabi.

In September 2011 the German-UAE College of Logistics in Abu Dhabi opened its doors. In cooperation with the Higher Colleges of Technology this college offers 3 German technical colleges, which can be complemented with a 4-year Bachelor Degree, and vocational training in logistics.