ADEK: Cornerstone of academic excellence

Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) elevateshe quality of higher education aligned with the capital's future growth

The education landscape has evolved immeasurably in recent years, in line with the UAE National Strategy for Higher Education to develop an innovative educational system aimed at sharpening student skills as the cornerstone of the educational process.

One of the core objectives at the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) is to elevate the quality of higher education for all students, academic and vocational, to ensure that the graduates are aligned with the human capital and knowledge requirements for the future growth of Abu Dhabi.

Thanks to the commitment of the UAE's visionary leadership, which places great importance on education in its drive for a future-focused knowledge-based economy, in a very short time span the system has demonstrated a dynamic growth and achieved the maturity level to offer internationally comparable qualifications. Currently, the system hosts a wide diversity of higher education providers, local and transnational, and a rich selection of study programmes designed to meet the market needs, thus guiding the students through the learning and career paths to contribute to the UAE of the future.

Within the past decade, ADEK has welcomed globally renowned universities including Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi and New York University Abu Dhabi; leading businesses schools such as INSEAD and a number of high education institutes, specialising in different sectors.  When added to innovative homegrown higher education institutions, Abu Dhabi's higher education ecosystem continues to go from strength to strength producing the talent with the knowledge and skills to be employed in industries for which the UAE is becoming renowned: defence, aerospace, ICT, tourism and culture and of course, education.

The high quality of higher education institutions coupled with Abu Dhabi's strategic geographic location reinforces the emirate's position as a destination of choice for students from across the region, Africa and Asia.

Preserving the quality of education
While the licensing of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) is the mandate of the Ministry of Education, ADEK serves as a safeguard of quality provisions in the emirate by authorising HEIs and their programmes, ensuring continuous improvement, efficiency, relevance and effectiveness.

As part of its mandate, ADEK regulates the education sector in all aspects through policies, standards and regulations, as well as monitor the quality of services. At the HE system level, ADEK guides the HE institutions in terms of strategies as well as supports financially to achieve the set goals in line with the strategic priorities of Abu Dhabi.

It actively seeks to attract the right calibre of HEIs to open the required programmes or higher education provisions to serve Abu Dhabi's needs, and to champion the creation of a student and faculty friendly ecosystem in the emirate. With students at the core of its efforts, ADEK encourages the building and maintaining of partnerships with leading experts and service providers in higher education.  

Exclusive initiatives
Rize Enrichment Programs is an ADEK initiative designed to help students reach their full potential by exposing them to new ideas as they prepare for the next steps in their education journey. The Rize University Preparation and Career Guidance (UPCG) Program provides a framework to post-secondary study, guiding students through the university application process with dedicated counsellors on hand to offer programming and advice related to both career discovery and pre-university preparation.

The programme gives students access to workshops, internships, volunteering initiatives, and other extracurricular activities that provide holistic interpersonal development and act as essential steps to university admissibility. Students also have access to test prep for standardised exams such as the SAT, TOEFL, and IELTS, as well as webinars hosted by universities, industry leaders from blue-chip organisations, providing a wealth of career path guidance.

This summer, the Rize UPCG Program organised its first Rize Virtual International University Fair, targeting students in grades 8-12 and featuring nearly 100 universities from Australia, Asia, Europe, the UK and North America, which will run until July 23.

As a complement to the university fair, the Rize UPCG Program is also delivering the Rize Career Webinars and Workshops series, held during the same time. Students also had access to summer university application and career preparation workshops such as, "Factors to Consider When Choosing Your Major and Deciding Your Career", a joint initiative by Khalifa University and SEHA that started on July 16.

The Rize UPCG Program is still accepting applications for the 2020-2021 academic year. Any student who will be in grade 9-12 starting in September is eligible to participate, but space is limited.

To learn more, the programme is holding an information session on July 20; a registration link can be found here: https://rize.adek.gov.ae/aal/RizeOrientationSessions.aspx

• Supplements