Education

When Sheikh Mohammed announced in May 2007 at the World Economic Forum that he would donate USD 10 billion to establish a major educational foundation to promote education throughout the Middle East, he signaled his personal commitment to the education sector as well as his dedication to helping countries that lack Dubai’s economic resources. The donation is thought to be the largest private charitable donation in history.

Investing in a knowledge-based society

Sheikh Mohammed says that the new foundation should help create a “knowledge-based society” in the Middle East. He adds, “There is a wide knowledge gap between us [in the Middle East] and the developed world. Our only choice is to bridge this gap as quickly as possible, because our age is defined by knowledge.”

Ambitious goals for new foundation

The initiative is designed to combat high rates of illiteracy in the region, stimulate scientific research, boost publishing in Arabic, and help provide opportunities for the estimated 80 million or more young people set to enter the Arab world’s job market over the next two decades.

Nabil Ali Al Yousuf serves as President of the new foundation; he is also Executive President of the Dubai School of Government and Chairman of the Dubai Institute for Human Resources Development. He explains, “The Sheikh Mohammed Foundation concentrates on teaching the Arab community to focus on strategic philanthropy rather than giveaways. As Dubai has become a success story, the foundation aims to help develop more success stories among our youth. People are our first concern. We need to remove the pessimism that hinders the Arab world and showcase the fact that people, every single one of us, can do amazing things. Progress is what the foundation supports and aims to achieve.”

Sheikh Mohammed also created the Dubai Cares initiative last year to help educate one million children in poor countries around the world. In announcing Dubai Cares in September 2007, he said, “The campaign will assist countries in achieving their UN Millennium Development Goals set eight years ago for providing primary education to every child by 2015.” Dubai Cares has received exceptional support from the local private sector as well as from multinationals operating in Dubai, including Microsoft.

Dubai leading the way in education

As in so many fields, Dubai has led the way in the region in its focus on education, and has long had a comprehensive public educational system from kindergarten through university level that is free to all citizens. The emirate also has many private schools, including several international ones. While Dubai’s current education system is the envy of many countries, Sheikh Mohammed – characteristically – wants to make it even better.

The ‘Vision 2015’ plan lists a number of ambitious goals for Dubai’s education sector, including improving education-sector governance, increasing the autonomy of public schools while reinforcing their transparency and accountability, upgrading teachers’ qualifications, upgrading curricula to meet international standards, creating opportunities for students with special needs, and raising public awareness of the necessity of education.

Dubai is also focusing on being a producer rather than merely a consumer of knowledge through its many innovative developments designed to foster education and research initiatives. The new foundation is the latest in a series of remarkable education projects Sheikh Mohammed has launched in recent years. In 2000, he announced the Information Technology Education Project to equip local schools with computers, create online learning opportunities and upgrade local school curricula. In 2003, he created Dubai Knowledge Village (DKV), a free zone designed to attract foreign investment in knowledge-based activities. DKV recently announced annual growth of 15 percent in the number of companies based there.

Dubai Academic City

In 2005, Sheikh Mohammed established the Dubai Education Council (DEC), which works to bring the sector up to the highest international standards, and 2006 marked the launch of Dubai Academic City (DAC), which includes a special, investor-friendly free zone called Dubai International Academic City (DIAC), the world’s only free zone dedicated to higher education. Covering around 25 million sq ft and equipped with the latest technologies and cutting-edge facilities, DIAC has already attracted 20 international educational institutions, including the American University in Dubai and the British University in Dubai.

The government’s plan is for DAC (and DIAC within it) to serve as a hub for higher education while Knowledge Village will be a base for training institutions. DAC, budgeted at around AED 12 billion, will eventually cover 129 million sq ft and is set for completion by 2012. It will include a range of leisure, entertainment and other support services as well as universities and research centers.

Dubai’s private sector strongly supports educational development. As Nasser Shaikh, Chairman of Deyaar Development, points out, “We care deeply about a strong education system and want Dubai to be the example and educator for the rest of the Gulf.” Dr. Khalid Al Khazraji, Chairman of Al Kawthar Investment and former Deputy Minister of the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Labor, points out that he would like to see more international universities come to Dubai and elsewhere in the United Arab Emirates to help boost local education standards. He explains, “We at Al Kawthar Investment want to invest and partner with global institutions in the field of education.”

Dr. Al Khazraji has ambitious goals for Dubai’s education sector. He says, “Dubai needs to see mega-projects in education with large campuses that would not only accommodate 2,000 people, as most campuses currently do, but would accommodate 20,000 students, as in the United States and the United Kingdom. Schools from this part of world can help contribute to such projects.”

Investing in the future through partnerships

International educational institutions are investing in Dubai within DAC and DIAC and in other locations. Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) plans to open a multimillion-dollar campus in Dubai Silicon Oasis this fall, according to RIT President Bill Destler, who comments, “Dubai is the perfect fit for RIT given the university’s strategic plan to enhance global opportunities for our students.” Dubai Silicon Oasis has been dubbed the world’s premier high-technology park for microelectronics and semiconductor research, development and production.

Many leading international educational institutions are establishing or strengthening their presence in Dubai through partnerships with local entities. Examples include the Dubai School of Government and Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and the partnership between Dubai Health Care City (DHCC) and Harvard Medical International to create Harvard’s first medical postgraduate institute located abroad.

New programs and investment options

Meanwhile, local educational institutions are expanding their offerings. According to a recent study by British University in Dubai, demand for doctoral-level education – both among students and potential employers – is at an all-time high in Dubai, driven by the needs of an expanding economy and by professionals looking to boost their careers in an increasingly competitive market. This trend means outstanding growth projects for institutions of higher learning that set up operations in Dubai. Dr. Mick Randall, Dean of Education at British University, comments, “We are examining the possibility of introducing the British doctorate in education specifically to further educational research in the region.”

Long-term commitment to education

Given the ‘Vision 2015’ focus on education combined with Sheikh Mohammed’s personal dedication, Dubai’s education sector is poised for significant expansion, and it is likely to earn Dubai as much positive press coverage around the world as the emirate’s other high-profile initiatives.
Dubai is well aware that creating a thriving and diverse education sector is a long-term proposition. As Sheikh Mohammed puts it, “It is far easier to build financial capital than it is to build intellectual, psychological and moral capital. Building a road, or a bridge, may take a year or two, but building a person takes a lifetime.” Dubai is ready to make that commitment.