The UAE offers a fully-fledged educational system for both boys and girls from primary level to university, with education for the country's citizens being provided free through government schools, colleges and universities. There is also an extensive private education sector which now accounts for around 40 per cent of the student population.

Over half a million students are now at school or in college, while several thousand students, of both sexes, are pursuing courses of higher education abroad at Government expense.

 Education from primary to secondary level is universal and compulsory and literacy rates are comparable to the norm in developed countries. An adult illiteracy programmed conducted in association with the UAE Women's Federation is helping to eradicate illiteracy among the older members of society. There is a strong focus on computer literacy and on English language teaching in higher education to equip young Emirates with the necessary skills.

State-funded educational opportunities in the UAE have blossomed since the establishment of the Federation when only a tiny minority of the population had access to formal education. A comprehensive free education system is now available to all students, male and female. At the start of the 1999/2000 academic year, 336,135 students enrolled in over 640 government schools throughout the country. Substantial progress has also taken place in the private sector which accounts for nearly 40 per cent of the student population at kindergarten, primary and secondary level.

In addition the UAE’s youth have ready access to higher education, both federally-funded and at the many internationally accredited private institutions that are being established throughout the UAE. Generous grants are also available for those wishing to study abroad.

Although the UAE has achieved much in the field of education there is a real awareness that constant updating of policy and continual investment in infrastructure is required to ensure that graduates are properly equipped to enter the workforce and assist in the country’s development. To this end, the Ministry of Education has released a draft policy document outlining a strategy for educational development in the UAE up to the year 2020 based on several five - year plans. The strategy aims to introduce the latest information technology at all levels including a computer for every 10 students at kindergarten, every five students at primary school, every two students at preparatory school, and a computer for every student at secondary school. The primary focus of attention will be on the needs of students, especially through the promotion of self-learning and continuous education programs. T here will also be training programs for teachers since surveys have shown that although the majority of students can use computers and the Internet, their teachers we re less familiar with this technology.

Cooperation between the public and private sectors at this stage in the country’s progress is considered to be essential and so the draft policy document features the establishment of a council for educational development, comprising senior education-alists, government officials and businessmen to assist in raising finance for infrastructure and information technology projects. It also envisages the setting up of a special fund  comprising governmental and private bodies. The emiratisation of teaching staff is scheduled to reach 90 per cent by the year 2020,a necessary development if the UAE’s Islamic traditions and principles are to be safeguarded.

Secondary School Certificate 

Women in the UAE have enthusiastically embraced the educational opportunities provided by them in recent years. (For more information see the section on Women.) This was evident yet again in the General Secondary School Certificate results in 1999 where female students outshone their male counterparts for the third consecutive year. The results showed a good overall performance by girls in both the science and literature subject groups. Fifteen girls were in the top 10 places in the literature group, while 16 girls and 10 boys shared the top 10 positions in the science group. The pass percentage of government schools was 96.2 per cent in science and 82.6 per cent in literature while private schools' pass percentage was 84 per cent in science and 77.9 per cent in literature.

More than 80 per cent of national students who graduated from secondary school in 1999 took up a place in higher education in September 1999. According to the National Admissions and Placement Office (NAPO), 90 per cent of female students and 73 per cent of their male counterparts commenced courses at the federally funded Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), established in 1987, Zayed University for women, established in 1998, and UAE University at Al Ain, established in 1977.

A total of 16,000 students, including 4,000 new re c ruits, commenced the new academic year 1999/2000 at Al Ain University, whilst 1,692 students enrolled at Zayed University, where the entire educational process is computer-based, 742 at the Abu Dhabi campus and 950 at the Dubai campus

In 1999, 4,944 students were granted admission to the 11 constituent colleges of the HCT network, compared with 4,154 at the beginning of the 1998–1999 academic year. Of these admissions, 1,675 were male and 3,229 were female, the latter figure being nearly double that for 1998.

The courses provided by the HCT are designed to prepare nationals for professional and technological careers in both government and private sectors. Since their foundation, the colleges have grown dramatically, with staff and students increasing by about 30 per cent each year. At present over 10,000 students are taking advantage of the educational opportunities offered by HCTs in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Al Ain and Ras al-Khaimah. HCT courses are grouped under four main programme headings: engineering, technology, health science, communication technology and business

During the period under review, Sheikh Zayed issued Federal Law No. 17 of 1998 dealing with the re-organization of the HCTs. The law stated that these institutions should henceforth be administered under an independent central body which will have its headquarters in Abu Dhabi but with branches in other towns.