Job Discussion Forums

[Noor]

I wonder if there are enough suitably placed Emirati graduates to make such a comparison possible. Are there any such figures?

=====================


Federal universities have caught up to those from overseas, says official

Daniel Bardsley
Last Updated: November 02. 2009 12:13AM UAE / November 1. 2009 8:13PM GMT

ABU DHABI // Federal universities have closed the gap on foreign institutions with campuses in the UAE and are now competing with them on an equal footing, according to a leading education official.

The idea that local universities were not as good as their counterparts from overseas was outdated, said Dr Tayeb Kamali, vice chancellor of the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT).

Heavy investment and the hiring of well-qualified foreign academics had allowed the UAE to quickly improve its educational institutions, he said.

�We�re 37 years old,� said Dr Kamali. �As we�re a young country, people sometimes think we may not be [as good as] a university that�s 200 years old, but that�s not true any more because of the commitment the Government has put into education. We have the resources.�

His comments follow a survey by YouGov, on behalf of The National, which found that many people thought foreign institutions were better than those from the UAE.

Nearly one quarter of respondents believed that federal universities were not as good as branch campuses of foreign institutions, while just one in 10 believed that they were better.

�This perception is the perception of the past,� said Dr Kamali.

If an institution had �the best buildings and the best ambience�, and recruited well-qualified faculty from overseas, it could develop much faster, he said.


�We don�t need 200 years, we can do it in 40 years,� said Dr Kamali.

�It would be worthwhile to poll those who employ graduates from different parts of the world and locally � how often are our graduates selected compared with the others? That�s an important gauge.�

Amid concerns about the quality of education in state schools, Dr Kamali said there were signs of improvement.

With more Emiratis having their children educated privately because of dissatisfaction with public sector education, state schools have increased the amount of English teaching and introduced other initiatives to raise standards.

Emirati school-leavers joining the HCT over the past two years were better than their predecessors, said Dr Kamali.

�I think the reform has begun,� said Dr Kamali. �There�s some dividend we�re seeing. There�s been some improvement.�

If improvements continued, Dr Kamali suggested it might be possible to eliminate the foundation year in which students take basic courses, particularly in English, before starting their main diploma, higher diploma or degree course.

�We still spend a year at least in providing the graduates of high school with the skills they did not pick up perhaps when they were at high school, but, in general, there�s been progress,� he said.

�If we can reach the day where we can eliminate the foundation year, that would be great. That�s what the reform is helping to do.�

The HCT, founded in 1988, teaches about 18,000 students in campuses across the country.

Female students outnumber men by three to two in federal institutions, but Dr Kamali said this was not a cause for concern.

There were productive things that young men could do instead of studying for a degree or diploma, he argued.

�It�s not like they�re not going to higher education,� said Dr Kamali. �If you look at those who don�t join higher education here, some are going on scholarships abroad.

�Some also have opportunities with the police and armed forces, where they�re also receiving higher education.�

[helenl]

Dr T - the dream never dies. I do sincerely believe that the tertiary level of education in UAE has improved - I also sincerely believe it has a long way to go before the system in UAE can be compared on a level playing field with good (not saying the best) but good universities and colleges in other countries.

This has more to do with the students' general work ethic and expectations - there are still too many who expect their teachers to hold their hands and drag them through their program of study. This particular group seems unable to do any self evaluation and determine that they might be lacking in effort and application - only that "teacher is not good because I didn't pass".

It is improving, it has a long way to go. And there are notable individual exceptions who DO work hard and are able to look at themselves, the work required and go to it.

[D. Merit]

[veralynn]

The article starts off by saying

[Splitting Hairs]

Only 13% of Emirati school leavers are able to get a 5.0 IELTS or Toefl 500 in order to get into freshmen year directly. The rest have a lot less. The problem with education in the UAE is not the schools but HCT. Why? Most funds for education go into HCT when they are truely needed for K-12. Close HCT, put the funds into the schools and once school leavers start entering university in large numbers directly then perhaps a comparism is possible between UAE and Western universities.

[mishmumkin]

[Never Ceased To Be Amazed]

The problem is cowering teachers of not-to-be-named nations that will verbalize ALL directions in ARABIC (even in English classes), change failing grades and hand-hold ALL students all through the Elementary/Secondary stages of their education, only to throw them onto the "rocks of reality"...real schoolin'...also known as "tertiary education".

NCTBA

[helenl]

and even during the high school leaving exam CEPA - where HCT faculty has to invigilate because the public school (mostly expat Arabs who want to keep their jobs) and some MoE staff (who are seconded at most locations) can't be trusted to do so with any kind of ethics.

Goodness knows I've been told to "help" the students and a colleague has gotten into a tug of war over an exam paper once time was called (the Arab invigilator wanted to give the kid another 15 minutes - like it would have made a difference). I've also had to break up a group "help" session of MoE employees with a student in the middle of a CEPA test.

I'm not blaming these people - they want to survive too - but until the MoE supports them fully, then they will continue to do what they have to do to keep their jobs.