IMPROVING COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE OF EDUCATION IN THE UAE

Posted: December 22nd, 2022

IMPROVING COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE OF EDUCATION IN THE UAE

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Improving Competitive Advantage of Education in the UAE

Introduction

Education is mandatory for all children aged five and above as well as expat residents in the UAE. Learners get primary and secondary education in public institutions for free for every national up to the age of 18 years. Education starts at the nursery level with children aged eighteen months to two years getting admission to nursery schools (Knowledge and Human Development Authority 2017). Children of four to five years proceed to the kindergarten level, where children acquire necessary skills in mathematics, art, music, Arabic, and English. Learners move to the primary level at around six years, and English serves as the principal language of communication at this stage (Warner & Burton 2019). Learners then move to the secondary or high school level, which can either be the ordinary forms or where students gain specific skills. Inadequate training at the university level and lack of motivation among teachers deter the efforts to achieve a competitive advantage in education, which compels the stakeholders to adopt the right measures.  

           Fortunately, the government and the people of UAE perceive education as being right, and today the state regards offering free primary and secondary education as one of its major priorities. The school system of the emirates is comparatively new and has transformed over the past six decades (Warner & Burton 2019). The UAE had few formal schools in the 1950s, and only boys were allowed to learn in these institutions. The government, however, embarked on expanding the education system and put more focus on building more learning institutions (Embassy of the United Arabs 2019). Even when the UAE formed officially, schools were mostly situated in urban locations, and only about 28,200 students secured admission, while those who seek to further their studies often attended institutions outside the nation, usually in the U.S. or the UK (Embassy of the United Arabs 2019). Today it is possible to witness significant transformations in these figures by looking at the number of learners attending public schools in the country. About 650,000 students (nearly 60% of all learners in the UAE) attended public schools in 2007 (Hill 2018). 

How Education in the UAE Differ from the Ideal Competitive Model

Even though the UAE government makes education compulsory to all learners, several impending factors derail the attempts to achieve an ideal competitive market model. A perfect competition market according to the description by Ostroy and Makowski (2001) refers to a market where the number of sellers and buyers is large, and where both groups engage in selling and buying a homogeneous good or product without any artificial impediments and having appropriate knowledge of the market at any particular time. Perfect competition is regarded as the ideal type to which real-life market forms can be compared, while its opposite is monopoly whereby only one firm supplies or provides a good or service, and that group can charge any price it finds appropriate since customers have no options, and it is hard for competitions to join the marketplace. 

Placing Higher Education and Scientific Research in UAE as a distinct area is an adequate sign the state is dedicated to reaching advanced heights in this area of human development. Both National Qualification Authority and Emirates Competitiveness Council in their recent filings; The UAE Education System: Overview of Performance in Education and The Heart of Competitiveness: Higher Education Creating the UAE’s Future have highlighted the achievements and progress witnessed so far in the field of higher education in the UAE (Sebihi 2014). The two groups have identified some constraints that need to be addressed with the primary objective of achieving the requirements of UAE Vision 2021 to make the nation a leading country globally. The awareness is a good show signaling the willingness to rectify the lapses that still affect higher education. 

One of the issues that make higher learning different from the ideal competitive market is education at this level do not match graduates with demands in the labor market. A 2012 report by OECD reveals after scrutiny of higher education courses offered by accredited institutions in the UAE showed an existing gap between higher education learning and the skills employers need (Sebihi 2014). An apparent difference between the reason why someone joins an institution of higher learning and the anticipated outcomes is evident among students in institutions of higher education and the outcomes expected (Sebihi 2014). Unfortunately, being unable to deliver the results or features employers want affect competitiveness in institutions of higher learning because such graduates can hardly perform well upon securing a job (Sebihi 2014). The inefficiencies institutions of higher education in the UAE experience in equipping students with the skills and competence required in the job market make it hard for such graduates to get employment in foreign nations where high qualification levels are needed. 

           The other issue affecting competitiveness in the UAE education sector is the lack of adequate motivation among the teaching staff. A testimony by Ayesha bin Samnoh who is a member of the Federal National Council, says that more than 1100 disenchanted instructors have quit their jobs in the past three years, and this is likely to competitiveness among learners, teachers, and schools (Dajani 2019). The teachers complain of escalating workload and inadequate career development, which has caused significant frustration among the instructors. Samnoh informed the Minister of State for Public Education (Jameela Al Muhairi) that she got numerous calls from teachers in public schools (Dajani 2019). Samnoh’s statement to the Minister informed about the burden teachers face without assistants and the uneasiness regarding the new retirement policy that many hope will change the retirement age. Samnoh said many teachers are uneasy due to the lack of chances for promotion and would want to have increased say on how the curriculum ought to appear (Dajani 2019). According to the statement by Samnoh, most of the teachers were happy during the days when they had the chance to offer their views regarding the development of the curriculum because this made them feel worthy and appreciated. 

Assumptions Underlying the Competitive Model that are met

The government believes it is doing its best to improve education even as the barriers continue to affect competitiveness across the country. The Minister of State for Public Education, in reaction to Samnoh’s claims, says that the ministry is keen on motivating instructors across public schools. Al Muhairi says at least 3000 teachers transited to the next level in 2018, which shows the state’s dedication to improving the education sector. Minister Al Muhairi further asserts that the government used Dh35 million on promoting teachers, yet the money was not part of the budget. The UAE is proud to have the most significant number of international schools in the Gulf region (511) (Dajani 2019). Only one and a half-decade ago, fewer than 1 million students went to school in the UAE, but now more than 2.76 million learners in the UAE and across the globe study in different institutions (International Monetary Fund 2019). The curriculum developers and the government emphasize English as Second Language, knowing the importance of the language in the global arena (Warner & Burton 2019). Other features that depict the UAE education system as being competitive include the free primary and secondary education, and the availability of government funds for public schools (Sebihi 2014). Teachers across the seven emirates, however, feel that more need to happen to salvage the country’s future of education that does not look so promising. Even as the government claims that it funds public schools and learners do not have to pay anything at the primary and secondary levels, some schools still charge internal fees, while up to 40% of learners attend private schools, some of which charge very high costs (Nazzal 2014). 

Areas that could be made more Efficient

               A practical approach to improve competitiveness in education in the UAE is to embrace the concept of cluster grouping. Rogers (2002) describes cluster grouping as an educational approach in which four to six talented and gifted or high-performing learners or both are assigned to a different class within their grade to be taught by an instructor who has specialized training on teaching learners with different abilities. Embracing cluster grouping is likely to improve competitiveness in UAE schools because through the gifted students, the others would gain skills that would enhance their performance (Aitbayeva et al. 2016 and Winebrenner 2001). Other benefits of applying the cluster grouping, and which could help to improve competitiveness, include high expectations among learners, cost-effectiveness, and faster progression.

The UAE should utilize the strengths in its economy to develop a competitive education system and one that is likely to influence the learners positively. Despite the drop in oil prices from mid-2014, the tightening global financial conditions, and the geopolitical tensions, the UAE government is dedicated to sustaining its economy to fund some of the critical areas. The government, for example, improved structural reforms to improve competitiveness and medium-term prospects as a way of attaining the country’s Vision 2021. It is encouraging the economy has recovered gradually from a drop caused by a fall in oil prices around 2014-2015 (International Monetary Fund 2019). The state should not allow the tightening financial conditions and the decline in real estate prices to deter the efforts to improve competitiveness in the education sector because it is through education that members of the society acquire knowledge that would help promote social, political growth. The government should rely on the fact that nonoil sector is expected to grow to 3.9% in 2019 and 4.3% in 2020, with increased oil prices, higher investment, a boost to tourism, and growth in trade to put more investment in educational practices (International Monetary Fund 2019).

More fundamentally, it is encouraging the UAE is paying much attention to lowering its debts to have adequate time and financial power to finance local projects and activities. The government should rely on the promising economic prospect to allocate funds to the education sector to improve competitiveness (Government.ae 2019). Placing more funds in the education sector could make it possible to conduct comparative studies with other developed nations that have improved education systems and will also allow for the hiring of qualified instructors who shall advance learners’ outcomes (International Monetary Fund 2019). Taking advantage of the promising economic prospects shall make it possible to build more schools to accommodate more learners. Erecting more classrooms is likely to boost competitiveness because parents and students will have a wide variety of options to choose from and will be able to secure admission in a school of their choice (International Trade Administration 2019). Building more schools is also likely to foster competitiveness because each school will want to produce the best learners, which could encourage instructors to put more effort into their teaching practices to equip students with the knowledge required to achieve the desired outcome. 

Developing better policies will not only promote competitive advantage but will also make it possible to achieve the educational goals outlined in Vision 2021. It is encouraging that the Ministry of Education develops policies that influence education in the respective emirates. The Ministry, for instance, formed the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) to help in administering public schools in the emirate (O’Sullivan 2015). ADEK offers accreditation and licensing to private schools in Abu Dhabi and other emirates in the western part of the country, such as Al Ain, as well as sets the standards influencing safety, educational outcomes, and building standards (O’Sullivan 2015). The Ministry and other bodies governing education, nevertheless, should strive to review the policies regularly to achieve the efficiency that would promote competitive advantage. 

Conclusion

The study describes how the UAE could improve competitiveness in the education sector, but first highlights some of the areas that need improvement. Universities tend to equip learners with skills that are not likely to help them get good jobs, and teachers lack adequate motivation. The government claims it is doing all it can to improve education in the country, but teachers and other stakeholders still feel more need to happen to secure future teaching and learning practices. The government should use its promising economy to improve education through the promotion of cluster grouping, teacher motivation, development of more classes and schools. The state should also review policies influencing educational practices in the country to improve competitiveness. 

Reference List

Aitbayeva, G, et al. 2016, ‘Formation of education clusters as a way to improve education,’ International Journal of Environmental & Science Education, vol. 11, no. 9, pp. 3053-3064.

Dajani, H 2019, FNC discusses challenges facing teaching sector. Available from: <https://www.thenational.ae/uae/education/fnc-discusses-challenges-facing-teaching-sector-1.856187> [22 October 2019]

Embassy of the United Arabs 2019, Education in the UAE. Available from: <https://www.uae-embassy.org/about-uae/education-uae> [22 October 2019]

Government.ae 2019, Economy. Available from: <https://www.government.ae/en/about-the-uae/economy> [22 October 2019]

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International Trade Administration 2019, United Arab Emirates – Education. Available form: <https://www.export.gov/article?id=United-Arab-Emirates-Education> [22 October 2019]

Nazzal, N 2014, Emiratis continue choosing private schools over public schools. Available from: <https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/emiratis-continue-choosing-private-schools-over-public-schools-1.1312894> [22 October 2019]

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Winebrenner, S 2001, Teaching gifted kids in the regular classroom, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.