UAE: Focus on higher education

The UAE is home to top-notch universities that offer various academic and extra-curricular activities' scholarships to students

Education has been at the forefront of the UAE's policy to usher in a new era of knowledge and empowerment. The country has experienced considerable improvements in the field of higher education since its establishment.
This is evident in the massive investment in infrastructure, administration and delivery systems.
In the higher education sector, the country has been keen to form partnerships and joint ventures with international education providers and have attracted some of the most prestigious educational institutions from around the world.
Presently the country's adult literacy rate hovers close to 95 per cent, significantly higher than just a few decades back when it was at 54 per cent for men and 31 per cent for women.
A sustained focus on education has witnessed the growing enrolment of nationals over the years. As the educational infrastructure shows more positive signs of growth, a knowledge-based economy that equips young people with choices, shaping the future of the country, is quite inevitable. 
Educational Free Zones have been instrumental in transforming the place into a knowledge-based economy. The Dubai International Academic City (DIAC), a first of its kind in the world, has a state-of-the-art campus spread over 18 million square feet.
With more than 27 international branch campuses of reputed universities from around the world, the DIAC has become an educational hub that boasts of advanced academic tools, technologies and human resources.
Furthermore, the UAE is home to top-notch institutions like the American University in Dubai, George Mason University, Michigan State University and Rochester Institute of Technology in Dubai.
Institutes like Heriot-Watt, Amity University, Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMAs), University of Birmingham Dubai, Murdoch University, The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and Alpha Aviation Academy among others offer a variety of career-oriented courses. New York University (NYU) has also set up its campus, alongside the Sorbonne University in the capital Abu Dhabi.
Likewise, Dubai Knowledge Park, based at Dubai Internet City, has attracted several top international universities and research facilities to the emirate including Saint-Petersburg State, Hult International Business School, University of Engineering and Economics, University of Wollongong, Middlesex University, SAE Institute, and the Manchester Business School.
Together with DIAC, Dubai Knowledge Park hosts universities that offer hundreds of courses and study programmes.
Pertinently, most graduates and postgraduates in the UAE choose to opt for courses in business, science, engineering and computer sciences.
Vocational and occupational courses in aviation, industrial and technical training, creative arts, hospitality, teaching, nursing and occupational health, architecture and interior design are also quite popular.
There are numerous scholarships available to students opting for higher education in the UAE. The Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) offers several scholarship opportunities based on various criteria.
The council is formulating a policy for scholarship programmes for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees to support human capital development.
These scholarships help the students with finances besides monitoring their academic progress, issues and concerns throughout the completion of their degrees.
As part of the knowledge economy, the UAE has developed a powerful platform with a commitment to providing access to the latest technologies in the vital Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector.
A diverse set of technological tools and resources used to communicate, and to create, store and manage information is already in place. The UAE is hailed as a leader in the region for ICT with a global reputation. It is considered among the world's most networked economies.
It won't be exaggeration to add the remarkable transformation in the higher education sector in the UAE can be attributed mainly to the progressive policies of the leadership and students' quest for knowledge.

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