The Education System in the UAE and the UK - Case Study Example

Education system in the UAE and the UK Name Institution Date Table of Contents Education system in the UAE and the UK 2 Abstract 2 Introduction 3 Description: Background Information 4 Governance, strategy, organization and performance 5 Issues and Problems 8 Discussion 8 Way Forward 9 Conclusion 10 Bibliography 11 Education system in the UAE and the UK Abstract The paper highlights how UAE and the UK acknowledge education as a pillar of economic growth. It is vital to motivate greater investment in education, a focus on a society/economy that is knowledge based. In establishing different decisions within the education policy framework, it is fundamental to foster a culture of thinking in relation to effectiveness and efficiency, and to ground governance on cost effectiveness and cost efficiency analyses. From the perspective of human capital, it is essential to increase the level of education of the general population. Obligatory preschool education, which has been embraced by the two countries, is very important. The primary education extension, the rearrangement and improvement of adult education scheme, and the innovation of the quality of secondary education will symbolize the pillars for the collection of human capital. The challenges that the system of education faces need to be addressed so as to obtain quality education that the country hopes for. Introduction Education gives people awareness of the world surrounding them. With effective education system, a country is able to accomplish a higher level of literate population. Education systems offer a foundation for the growth of human resources, and the reestablishment of the importance of human capital in the development of economy during the close of 1990s provided main concern to education and prerequisite of the labour force (Rolls, 2007). From then, significant attention has been directed to quality demands created to the labour force. In various developed countries, education is regarded as, even though ultimately, decisive for the reallocation process of power and social influence. Raising the populations’ level of education has been identified as an influential element of the economic growth of society. With this regard, this paper discusses the education system in the UAE and the UK. Description: Background Information One of the leading priorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has constantly been education. President Shiekh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, UAE’s founder, cited that the greatest application that can be made of affluence is to invest it in making generations of people who are educated and trained (Embassy of the UAE, 2011). The UAE has concentrated on educating both women and men. In 1975, the adult’s literacy rate was 54% in men and 31% in women. Currently, rates of literacy for both women and men are about 90%. New ideas are being initiated at every level of education. A major area of concentration has been to change K to 12 programs, to make sure that students in the UAE are fully equipped to attend universities all over the world and compete within the international marketplace (Embassy of the UAE, 2012). Additionally, a number of the globe’s best universities are devising programs within the UAE, which attract students who are talented in the Arab region and internationally. The law requires that the British children to have an education up to sixteen years of age. Education is actually mandatory; however, school is not, in the sense that children may not attend school. They may possibly receive education from home. The 1996 UK’s education Act stipulates that the parent of each child of obligatory school age shall make him or her get well-organized permanent education appropriate to their age, capability and skill, and to whichever special educational requirements he or she might have; either by customary school attendance or otherwise (Barrow, 2012). There is free education for every child from five to sixteen. Education that is full-time is obligatory for every child aged between five and sixteen (inclusive) all over England. This is offered by independent schools, state schools, or homeschooling. Approximately 94% of England pupils, and the entire UK, get free of charge education from civic funds, whereas 6% attend homeschooling or self-governing fee paying schools (Gillard, 2011). In terms of curriculum, every school that is run by the government, state schools, pursue equivalent National Curriculum. Higher education habitually starts with a bachelor’s degree of three years. Governance, strategy, organization and performance The education system in UAE, for instance, in Dubai is a four-level system comprising of 14 years of education, basically from primary to secondary (Global Arab Network, 2010). It is greatly outstanding that education at both the primary and secondary levels are provided free of charge for every UAE’s citizen, similarly to what the UK’s education system does to its citizens. The Ministry of Education (MoE) of the government of the UAE works directly on the policies of education, syllabus and studies carried out in each institution at every level. The Ministry of Education has implemented “Education 2020,” a set of five-year plans intended to initiate education techniques, enhance innovative skills, and concentrate a lot on the self-learning capabilities of learners (Global Arab Network, 2010). As a section of this plan, an advanced mathematics curriculum and incorporated science was instituted at the level of grade one for the academic year 2003-4 in every government school. Appreciating a steady need for advancement, the UAE has wanted to put into practice and keep an eye on high standards of quality education by undertaking fresh policies, initiatives, and programs (Rolls, 2007). All over the Middle East, advancement in education is frequently slowed down by inadequate concentration on the English language, insufficient technology provision and up to date techniques of methodology and instruction. Highlighting the significance of contemporary curricula with mixed and non-monotonous methods of instructing and assessment, the Emirates initiated grand campaigns to develop every part of these areas. At its establishment, lies the essential funding, which was allocated at 7.4 billion dirhams in 2009, in addition to increased training of teachers. Through its 21st Century Teachers and a two hundred million dirham fraction of this budget, the UAE expects to train around 10,000 public school trainers in the coming five years, while also seeking its planned goal of attaining 90% Emiratization of its personnel by 2020 (Embassy of the UAE, 2012). Additionally, the government of UAE hopes that a poor grip of English is among the key barriers of employment for UAE citizens; as an initial remedial initiative, the Abu Dhabi Education Council is establishing a basic school pilot scheme with Zayed University, which it expects to extend to every school within the emirate, to improve learner English language abilities. Generally, of the 1190 schools presently running in the UAE, a percentage of 39 are private institutions, with the division between private to civic being 467 to 723. The ratio is reversed in Dubai, with only more than 1/3 of all schools being state offered. Of all the 224 schools in Dubai, only 79 are part of civic education system, whose curricula is designed by the MoE. The remainder, which is 145, entails private schools which teach 17 various curricula, not excluding that set by the ministry (Global Arab Network, 2010). Both the UAE and UK have education systems that need reforms in order to keep at par with international standards. School governing entities have a significant role in making sure that schools across the UK perform to their optimal capacity and constantly seek to upgrade what they do (Dixit, 2002). Each school has a governing entity, and school heads number more than 350,000 (Gillard, 2011). In the UK schools, head teachers are responsible for the domestic organization, control and management of the school. All through the post-war era, there have been a lot of efforts to reform the education system in the UK and make it quite productive (Adnett & Davies, 2002). The UK’s education system is presently going through considerable transformation than at any moment from the 1944 Butter Education Act. There exists a massive variety of schools with extensively differing financing arrangements, governance and lawful obligations. Schools that are run by the state are funded via national taxation, and admit students at no cost between 3 and 18 years of age (Gunter, 2011). Every student goes through National Curriculum Tests (NCTs) in the National Curriculum. Approximately every school that is state-funded in England is maintained school, whereby it receives funding from public authorities. Nearly 7 percent of school children in the UK particularly in England attend schools that are privately operated. Private schools do not offer free of charge education (Adnett & Davies, 2002). With respect to children with special educational needs, just like in the UAE’s education system, the education system in UK also considers children with special educational needs. Issues and Problems The prime minister of the UAE, in February 2006, ordered the minister of education to take primary initiatives towards enhancing the standards of education. This included permanent classrooms’ provision, computer laboratories, and contemporary facilities. However, in April 2007, in a principal policy speech to the country, the prime minister and vice president of the UAE contended that regardless of the constant increase in the budget of education over the preceding 20 years, methods of teaching and curricula were outdated, and the system of education was weak as a whole (Global Arab Network, 2010). It was demanded that the education ministers and higher education ought to work to find modern and inclusive solutions. Other than concerns regarding widening access and inequality of education, during the 1980s there appeared widespread concerns in relation to poor and declining standards of education in the UK (Machin & Vignoles, 2005b). Particularly there were fears that a lot of people were leaving school a little bit early and with insufficient basic skills. The issue of poor numeracy and literacy were also major concerns in the system of UK’s education. Discussion The education world has transformed considerably, specifically within the past thirty years, with post-secondary education (PSE) ascertaining itself as an international product, accessed through an intensely international marketplace, principally in English as a language (Hoxby, 2000). Nearly every country has aggressive general strategies for PSE programmes to upgrade their national plans, especially in relation to awareness of the nation’s improvement, productivity and economic development strategy (Rolls, 2007). The UAE and UK are not exempted from this. This is why they have invested in education system to make sure that their population is at par with the competitive global marketplace. However, the hitches cited within the education system need to be addressed promptly in order to accomplish the national agenda. Way Forward In an effort to improve the quality of education within the UAE, during the start of 2008, the Ministry of Education in UAE started a Mentoring Programme which allocates Western principals to around 50 of the 735 civic schools all over the UAE so as to update teaching strategies and execute Western ways of learning (Global Arab Network, 2010). Instructors who took part highlighted necessity of moving from the conventional approaches of inactive memorization and rote education rather than fostering active participation of student. With respect to the concerns raised about the education system in the UK, successive traditional governments during the 1980s and 1990s raised the stead of reform and established what was referred to as market mechanisms into the education system of the UK, in an effort to compel schools to increase standards (Machin & Vignoles, 2005b). The market-oriented reforms’ package targeted to escalate parental choice and hence enhance the accountability of schools that were state funded. Parent may possibly, to some extent theoretically, select which school their kid went to and may probably also have account on school governing entities. To deal with the issue of poor numeracy and literacy, in addition to general fears regarding poor standards, the UK established 2 other essential national policies. First was to standardize the national curriculum in order to increase standards by making sure that every student studies a planned category of subjects until a minimum level of sixteen years (Gillard, 2011). Another strategy was the beginning of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies. The strategies were incorporated in every primary school designating part of the day to day curriculum to numeracy and literacy hours, with the particular target of developing the basic skills of the student (Machin & Vignoles, 2005a). Conclusion In conclusion, the paper has presented a discussion on the education system in the two countries, principally the UAE and the UK. Both systems aim at obtaining a population that is literate through provision of free education from nursery all through to PSE, specifically in public schools. Since education is cited as a major element in the marketplace, the countries have invested in providing quality education to its citizens. On the other hand, a number of problems have been cited. In order to improve the quality of education system, these problems have been addressed accordingly. Bibliography Adnett, N & Davies P, 2002, Markets for Schooling, Routledge, London. Barrow, M, 2012, Introduction to Education in England, Retrieved on 7 March, 2013 from: Dixit, A., 2002, Incentives and Organizations in the Public Sector, Journal of Human Resources, Vol. 37, pp 696-727. Embassy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), 2012, Education in the UAE, Retrieved on 7 March, 2013 from: Gillard, D, 2011, Education in England: a brief history, Retrieved on 7 March, 2013 from: Global Arab Network, 2010, UAE: Massive reforms in Dubai education system, Retrieved on 7 March, 2013 from: Gunter, HM, 2011, Governance and Education in England, Italian Journal of Sociology of Education, Vol. 2. Hoxby, C., 2000, Does Competition Among Public Schools Benefit Students and Taxpayers?,American Economic Review, Vol. 90, pp 1209-38. Machin, S & Vignoles A, 2005a, Education policy in the UK. Machin, S, & Vignoles A, 2005b, What’s the Good of Education? The Economics of Education in the United Kingdom, Princeton University Press: Princeton. Rolls, A., 2007, International perspectives on education, Bronx, NY: H.W. Wilson Co. Read More

It is greatly outstanding that education at both the primary and secondary levels are provided free of charge for every UAE’s citizen, similarly to what the UK’s education system does to its citizens. The Ministry of Education (MoE) of the government of the UAE works directly on the policies of education, syllabus and studies carried out in each institution at every level. The Ministry of Education has implemented “Education 2020,” a set of five-year plans intended to initiate education techniques, enhance innovative skills, and concentrate a lot on the self-learning capabilities of learners (Global Arab Network, 2010).

As a section of this plan, an advanced mathematics curriculum and incorporated science was instituted at the level of grade one for the academic year 2003-4 in every government school. Appreciating a steady need for advancement, the UAE has wanted to put into practice and keep an eye on high standards of quality education by undertaking fresh policies, initiatives, and programs (Rolls, 2007). All over the Middle East, advancement in education is frequently slowed down by inadequate concentration on the English language, insufficient technology provision and up to date techniques of methodology and instruction.

Highlighting the significance of contemporary curricula with mixed and non-monotonous methods of instructing and assessment, the Emirates initiated grand campaigns to develop every part of these areas. At its establishment, lies the essential funding, which was allocated at 7.4 billion dirhams in 2009, in addition to increased training of teachers. Through its 21st Century Teachers and a two hundred million dirham fraction of this budget, the UAE expects to train around 10,000 public school trainers in the coming five years, while also seeking its planned goal of attaining 90% Emiratization of its personnel by 2020 (Embassy of the UAE, 2012).

Additionally, the government of UAE hopes that a poor grip of English is among the key barriers of employment for UAE citizens; as an initial remedial initiative, the Abu Dhabi Education Council is establishing a basic school pilot scheme with Zayed University, which it expects to extend to every school within the emirate, to improve learner English language abilities. Generally, of the 1190 schools presently running in the UAE, a percentage of 39 are private institutions, with the division between private to civic being 467 to 723.

The ratio is reversed in Dubai, with only more than 1/3 of all schools being state offered. Of all the 224 schools in Dubai, only 79 are part of civic education system, whose curricula is designed by the MoE. The remainder, which is 145, entails private schools which teach 17 various curricula, not excluding that set by the ministry (Global Arab Network, 2010). Both the UAE and UK have education systems that need reforms in order to keep at par with international standards. School governing entities have a significant role in making sure that schools across the UK perform to their optimal capacity and constantly seek to upgrade what they do (Dixit, 2002).

Each school has a governing entity, and school heads number more than 350,000 (Gillard, 2011). In the UK schools, head teachers are responsible for the domestic organization, control and management of the school. All through the post-war era, there have been a lot of efforts to reform the education system in the UK and make it quite productive (Adnett & Davies, 2002). The UK’s education system is presently going through considerable transformation than at any moment from the 1944 Butter Education Act.

There exists a massive variety of schools with extensively differing financing arrangements, governance and lawful obligations. Schools that are run by the state are funded via national taxation, and admit students at no cost between 3 and 18 years of age (Gunter, 2011). Every student goes through National Curriculum Tests (NCTs) in the National Curriculum. Approximately every school that is state-funded in England is maintained school, whereby it receives funding from public authorities.

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