How school-university partnerships can strengthen the UAE’s education sector

How school-university partnerships can strengthen the UAE’s education sector

One of the UAE's highest priorities has always been education. As a result of the keen focus over the years, the nation has seen the rate of adult literacy zoom from 54 per cent among men and 31 per cent among women in 1975 to 95 per cent today for both genders. This is commendable, given that the education system itself is relatively new, compared to those in several other parts of the world.

As an industry, it has grown and aimed for continuous improvement. The nation's commitment to education has helped diversify the economy and prepared a new generation of young people possessing skills that are sought after in the global marketplace.

Recent reports state that the UAE education market is expected to grow from $4.4bn in 2017 to $7.1bn by 2023.

Additionally, the Ministry of Education (MoE)'s Education 2020 strategy is designed to bring significant qualitative improvement in the education system, especially in the way teachers teach and students learn.

There are several ways to achieve this, however one of the most effective routes, is via collaboration between educational institutions. In other words, school-university partnerships are a fundamental link to strengthen teacher education reform.

Historically, various studies have