The document discusses the history and development of education in the United Arab Emirates. It describes how education progressed from traditional Quranic schools led by mutawas and held in homes, mosques and dedicated buildings called katateeb, to the establishment of the first modern school in Sharjah in 1930. It then outlines the expansion of the education system after UAE formation in 1971, including the development of private schools, initiatives to boost literacy, the creation of regulatory bodies like ADEC and plans to further improve quality and outcomes.
2. In the past, the Mutawa was usually the person who taught young boys and girls how
to read the Quran, the Hadith of the Prophet Mohammed (peace be unto him) and his
biography in his house
The Katateeb was a physical location, or school, where youth were taught the Holy
Quran, Islamic teachings, writing, reading, and basic mathematics. The Katateeb
closely paralleled and resembled the modern primary school with teachers and
additional resources. Before the establishment of the UAE, the Katateeb was usually
found in coastal areas or places with well-established commerce (Alnabah, 1996)
3. • The Educational Circles were typically conducted in the local Masjed, the
Sheikh’s palace, the learner’s home or in the teacher’s home.
• The specialist teacher taught similar subjects to the Mutawa such as the Holy
Quran, Sunnah, writing, reading, and mathematics.
• Instruction was often much more intense than instruction delivered by the local
Mutawa.
• Ral Al Khaimah, was famous for its Educational Circles
4. This period was spurred into existence as a result of a religious movement
known as “Alyaqadha Alarabiya.”
Central to this idea was upholding the Arabic language and relinquishing
those things inconsistent with Islamic belief. One of the effects of this
movement related to the importance placed on education as a means of
allowing people to embrace the teachings of the Holy Quran
Schools like “A’Taimiah Almahmoudiah” and “A’Taimiah Almahmoudiah”
often brought scholars from neighboring countries to serve as teachers and
administrators (Alrawi, 1996)
UAE Sheik sponsored the educational growth of many students by sending
them to study in Qatar and Egypt (Alrawi, 1996)
5. • The first organized modern school was Alqasimiah School, founded in Sharjah in 1930
• Curriculum and books brought from Kuwait
• The first year under the modern model was 1953-1954
• The following year, the first school for females was opened under the same name.
• The Kuwaiti model established three stages for students: (1) primary school, (2) preparatory
school and (3) secondary school.
• After the United Arab Emirates was formed in 1971, education was developed locally and
became free for all Emiratis. Primary education became mandatory for all Emirati boys and
girls.
(Alrawi, 1996)
6. 1-Kuwait (Ras Al-Khaimah: 1954)
2-Egypt (shj then dubai)
3-Qatar (dubai then shj)
4-Bahrain (shj)
5-Jordan (Abu Dhabi); Abu Dhabi was pioneer in
kindergarten education in 1967.
7. • The development of education in the UAE started effectively in 1962
9 schools in yr 1972-1973 offered for 1215 students only.
• The number of schools then was barely 20 schools
• less than 4000 students studied, mostly male students
• After 1971, Enrollment rate was nearly 28 thousand students.
• Higher education was unavailable locally
• students had to seek other countries to pursue higher education after
school on the government expense
• Government educational institutions supervising education were
established in 1970
• 329 schools in 1994-1995
• His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan considered
education among the priorities of progress
• He was overly generous when it came to education related projects
that aspired for the gradual improvement of education.
8. • private education appeared to complement public education to provide
schooling for almost 40% of UAE students
• Private education gained special attention given to the education of
foreign languages for national and expatriate students, in addition to
other subjects like science and math
• The UAE has retained its spot of having the highest number of English-
medium international schools worldwide with 589, according to data from
research firm International Schools Consultancy (ISC) (Gulf News, 2016)
9. In 1975, among men was 54.2% while it was 30.3% among women
literacy
In 1998, the rates reached 73.4% for men, and 77.1% for women
In 2013, The rate reached 89.5% for male, and 91.5% for female
(the world fact book, 2015)
Literacy Development
10. A plan for the development of education during the next twenty years, with the aim to
reach higher standards and increase the inputs of science and technology.
The plan pays attention to attracting nationals to education in order to raise the rate
of nationals in the educational sector into 90% by the year 2020.
11. UAE CURRENT CURRICULUM
PHILOSOPHY: PROGRESSIVISM
CURRICULUM PHILOSOPHY
The curriculum is focused on students' interest, human problems and
affairs. The subjects are interdisciplinary, integrative and interactive.
Curriculum relates to real-life problems and emphasizes problem
solving.
12.
13. The mandate to provide a “modern curriculum” has resulted most recently in the 2007 launch of
the Madares Al Ghad (Schools of Tomorrow). In specially selected schools, new English
medium textbooks for English, science and math have been introduced
in order to both improve students’ levels
of English and to change the way in which these subjects are taught and understood.
Textbook revision and approval is a 5-year process undertaken by the MOE. To date
the most noticeable changes have been
the English language textbooks for primary students, in which the old UAE-produced texts were
replaced with UAE Parade
14. ADEC was established in 2005 to develop education and
educational institutions
ADEC Priorities (2009-2018)
Elevate Schools Quality in Abu Dhabi to International Standards
Improve Access to P-12 Education
Provide Students with Affordable Options of High Quality Private Education
Preserve UAE Culture & Heritage and Develop Successful Careers
15. • developed a new curriculum based on outcomes, or standards, rather than textbooks, in
consultation with an arm of the New South Wales Government, Australia.
• The new ADEC curriculum is an important move away from dependence on the textbook
as the sole transmitter of curriculum content. It places more emphasis on critical thinking
and problem solving skills rather than memorization. At this stage, the curriculum is being
tested in the Model schools and Public Private Partnership (PPP) schools.
16. Mission of Abu Dhabi Higher Education Strategy
• Elevating the quality of Higher Education to international standards
through partnerships with world class universities, high licensing and
accreditation standards, requirements and incentives for continuous
improvement
• Promoting and incentivizing innovation, scholarship and discovery
through major research funding in areas of strategic importance to
Abu Dhabi, thereby building a strong community of scientists and
scholars
• Carefully aligning Higher Education with labor market and
socio-economic needs, guided by the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision
2030 and Abu Dhabi’s policy agenda
(ADEC 2012)
17. The Following slides show current information from
ADEC statistical reports about the educational
development in Abu Dhabi
30. • Established in 1996, the National Admissions & Placement Office (NAPO) is responsible for
processing applications from Emirati and mother national secondary school graduates for admission
to the institutions of higher education located in the UAE.
• Emirati students with high GSC scores are eligible for a scholarship to study abroad under the
sponsorship of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOHESR), UAE.
CEPA Test for High Education Admission
http://ws2.mohesr.ae/napo/Default_EN.aspx
32. UAE EDUCATION MARKET OUTLOOK TO
2018 – RISING DEMAND FOR PRIVATE
SCHOOLS, E-LEARNING AND ICT
The revenue from education industry has been increasing from 2008 to 2013.
The e-learning market has recorded the highest CAGR of 27.4% during the years
2008 to 2013.
Institutes such as Eton and British council have been the major players in the test
preparation sector which are managing a huge number of students. Software
providers such as BlackBoard, Sumotal and Cornerstone have dominated the e-
learning segment.
33. The programs aims to develop education through using the up to date technology
Watch the video in the next slide
34.
35. The robotics programme targeted improving the science, technology, engineering and mathematics
skills and knowledge of students, while focusing on the development of their problem solving,
creativity, innovation and collaboration skills and aptitudes.
WRO in the UAE has been growing rapidly. In 2008, 29 teams participated in the Challenge. In 2011,
602 teams participated across the UAE. Over 300 teams competed during 2012 in a competition with
a reduced number of categories, while in 2015 more than 450 teams competed. In 2015 we look
forward to continuing this growth and developing the capacity of UAE students to participate
effectively in robotics competitions.
During 2008, ADEC began a pilot project of placing robotics kits into a number of the Emirate’s public
schools that catered for students in grades 3 - 12.
36. The UAE has long educational development plans, with
the aim of creating a diverse and competitive economy
based on improvements in the efficiency and quality of
educational output.
37. There are challenges on which success over the coming decades depends such as:
diversifying the student population, schools and curricula
improving the quality of the school environment
overcoming the limitations of traditional methods of education
creating effective approaches to development
evaluation and assessment
improving educational guidance for students
achieving greater family involvement in the educational process
38. References
Abu Dhabi Education Reform: The Road to 2030. (2012) (1st ed.). Abu Dhabi Education Council. Retrieved 23 September 2016, from
http://centres.insead.edu/innovation-policy/events/policy-breakfasts/documents/ad_edu_ref_pres-2012april.pdf
Alhebsi, A., Pettaway, L., & Waller, L. (2015). A History of Education in the United Arab Emirates and Trucial Sheikdoms. The Global Elearning Journal, 4(1),
2-6.
Education in the UAE. Moe.gov.ae. Retrieved 23 September 2016, from http://www.moe.gov.ae/English/Pages/UAE/UaeEdu.aspx
Alnabah, N. (1996). Education in the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi, UAE: Alflah
Alrawi, M. (1996). Education in the UAE. Abu Dhabi, UAE: Alflah.
Education in the UAE. (2010) Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, Washington. Retrieved from http://www.uae-embassy.org/sites/default/files/pdf/LH-
Education-factsheet_2010-03.pdf
Education in the UAE: Current Status and Future Developments. (2012). Abu Dhabi: Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies & Research.
Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research Staff.,. (2012). Education in the UAE. I.B. Tauris & Company, Limited.
Farah, S. & Ridge, N. (2009). Challenges to Curriculum Development in the UAE. Dubai School Of Government, 16, 1-6.
Godwin, S. (2006). Globalization, Education and Emiratisation: A Study of the United Arab Emirates. The Electronic Journal Of Information Systems In
Developing Countries, 27(1), 1-14.
Taylor-Evans, D. & Coyne, D. (2013). United Arab Emirates Yearbook (1st ed., pp. 5-264). Dubai: Elite Media.
The World Factbook. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2016, from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2103.html
UAE has the highest number of international schools globally - Gulf Business. (2016). Gulf Business. Retrieved 23 September 2016, from
http://gulfbusiness.com/uae-has-the-highest-number-of-international-schools-globally/
