A Study of the UAE Higher Education Sector in Light of Dubai’s Strategic Objectives

Abstract

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. ABSTRACTWe provide an overview of the state of the higher education system in the UAE, and investigate its capacity to supply Dubai's economy with skilled labor and achieve the emirate's strategic social development objectives. We examine various characteristics of the higher education sector and discuss their inherent strengths and weaknesses in light of Dubai's labor market needs. Our findings reveal that the UAE higher education sector has witnessed an impressive growth since 1997 mostly led by a vigorous expansion of the private higher education sector. This situation led to a substantial growth in higher education opportunities for the UAE population. However, the lack of development of graduate studies and the lower quality of graduates, as perceived by both employees and employers, represent the main challenges to the capacity of the sector in fulfilling the needs of Dubai's economy.

Higher education in the United Arab Emirates: an analysis of the outcomes of significant increases in supply and competition

“…Given that at least fifty-seven private institutions are now operating in the country, it would seem that the local governments have been successful in adopting this strategy as a means to increase the supply of places in higher education. In 2001, the percentage of degrees awarded that came from private institutions was 26.9 per cent (Hijazi et al, 2008); in 2006, this figure had increased to 54.6 per cent.…”

“…The high birth rates of UAE nationals in the 1970/80s, combined with an increased recognition of the value of higher education, has resulted in a substantial increase in demand from nationals for higher education since the early 1990s. The UAE University enrolled 400 students in 1977 when it was established (Hijazi et al, 2008); it now has over 12,000 students.…”

“…In 2008-9, the UAE University admitted 3355 new students; the Higher Colleges of Technology, 7902 students; and Zayed University 1558 students (National Media Council, 2009). Of the national students who graduated in 2006, 66.8 per cent were female (Hijazi et al, 2008). Many males prefer to join the armed forces or to take up employment in family businesses or relatively well-paid administrative positions in the public sector.…”

Determinants of Students' Performance in Cost Accounting – Further Evidence from Kuwait

“…Predicting the academic performance of students studying various accounting subjects has garnered considerable attention in recent years from accounting education scholars who have examined several factors that were thought to influence students' performance when learning accounting subjects such as gender, age, race, major, nationality, marital status, personality type, grade history, college GPA and experience, high school GPA and experience, motivation and expectations, study approaches, lecture attendance ____________________________ *Dr. Khalid A. Alanzi, Associate Professor of Accounting, The College of Business Studies, The Public Authority for Applied Education and Training. Email: Ka.alanzi@paaet.edu.kw, Khalid.alanezi@gmail.com (absenteeism), lecture environment, and residential status (Eskew and Faley, 1988;Doran et al, 1991;Gul and Fong, 1993;Tho, 1994;Wooten, 1998;Hill, 1998;Al-Rashed, 2001; Paisey and Paisey, 2004;Elias, 2005;Hijazi et al, 2008;Nelson et al, 2008;Bealing et al, 2009;Al-Twaijry, 2010;Mohrweis, 2010;Yousef, 2011;Alanzi, 2012Alanzi, , 2013. However, the outcomes of these studies have not provided strong and consistent evidence regarding students' performance, which has encouraged further research in this area.…”

Gender-based differences in employment conditions of local and expatriate workers in the GCC context

“…In fact, more females than males have been graduating from universities in recent years in some GCC countries such as the UAE with many of them entering the labor market. About two-thirds of university graduates in the UAE are females who account for 73.0 percent of the graduates in 2001 and 66.8 percent in 2006 (Hijazi et al, 2008)[1]. However, educational attainments do not translate automatically into labor market participation for females in many Arab countries due to a variety of cultural and religious restrictions placed on women's employment.…”