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UAE spends much less on education than AGCC average

ABU DHABI - The spending on higher education in UAE is less by 38 per cent as compared to spending in other Arab Gulf Cooperation Council (AGCC) countries, according to a study conducted recently by the National Human Resources Development and Employment Authority (Tanmia).

The expenditure per individual in the UAE for higher education is $63 annually, compared to $102 in the AGCC countries, said the study which deals with the financial support to the institutional development in the UAE, with reference to the expenditure on various disciplines in the higher educational system.

The Ministry of Higher Education spends $6.2 million against $98.2 million spent by the other AGCC countries, said the study. The government university in the UAE spends around $103 million compared to $2.282 billion spent in the AGCC states while $23.1 million is spent by private higher educational institutions in the country against $37.3 million in the AGCC countries.

Local government technical institutions use up to $11.8 million while those in the AGCC states allocate $125 million while private technical institutions in the UAE and the other AGCC states earmark the same amount of $6.1million.

"Hence, the total expenditure on higher education in the UAE stands at $150.2 million against $3.94.5 billion in the AGCC, making the average expenditure per individual in the UAE $63 against $102 in the AGCC countries," said the report.

It mentioned that funds allocated for research development in the UAE were also low whereby expenditure on research development in the country does not exceed 40 per cent of the expenditure average in the AGCC countries. "This shortage has resulted in reducing the number of researchers and assistant cadres for every 100 individual," said the report. Research expenditure per person in the country stands at $2.64 against $11.52 in the AGCC countries.

The number of researchers in the country was found to be 4.5/100,000 compared to 6.1/100,000 in the AGCC states while the assistant researchers were 8.6 against 11/100,000 in the AGCC.

"The average expenditure on research development, against the number of researchers in the UAE, is $101.7 compared to $184.4 in the AGCC," said the report.

It stated that this situation has affected patent registration in the country, according to statistics on patents in the UAE and the AGCC registered in the US between 1990-99. The total $1billion investment produces 1.79 new patent in the UAE compared to 2.09 patent in the AGCC, where the number of patents in the country during this period, was 15 patent/$8.360 million against 170 patent/$81.370 million in the AGCC, said the report. Recently, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research has expressed its concern about the financial crisis facing government universities, arguing that funds allocated to higher education were inadequate compared to anticipated role of these institutions.

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