Abdulrahman Al Awar

  • This dialogue underscores the Ministry’s commitment to communicating effectively with partners to shape the future of higher education in line with international best practices and the country’s development goals
  • Achieving lasting positive change in higher education requires unified efforts, knowledge exchange and input from experts and the educational community

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOHESR) held various sessions under the ‘Dialogue on the Future of Higher Education in the UAE’ to discuss key initiatives and programmes aimed at advancing the sector and aligning its outcomes with national development goals.

Today (18 November 2024), the first session was held at the Ministry’s headquarters in Abu Dhabi – and two more sessions will be held in Dubai and Sharjah on November 19 and 20 – in the presence of His Excellency Dr. Abdulrahman Al Awar, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation, Acting Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research; His Excellency Dr. Mohammad Al Mualla, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research; along with senior officials from the Ministry and leaders from higher education institutions and relevant local entities.

His Excellency Dr. Abdulrahman Al Awar noted that this dialogue underscores the Ministry’s commitment to communicating effectively with partners to shape the future of higher education in line with international best practices. The dialogue aims to enhance the quality, efficiency and competitiveness of higher education in the UAE while aligning its outcomes with labour market needs and the nation’s development goals.

His Excellency Dr. Al Awar said: “We recognise that achieving lasting positive change in higher education requires unified efforts, knowledge exchange and input from experts and the educational community. Through this dialogue, we aim to review several recent Ministry-led initiatives, including updates to student admission standards, frameworks for university licensing and academic programmes, the national framework for universities’ classification and the enhancement of student services.”

His Excellency Dr. Al Awar stated that the Ministry is focusing on four priorities, namely enhancing the student journey through streamlined procedures and enhanced digital services; improving educational institutions’ flexibility by updating licensing and admission criteria; aligning educational outcomes with labour market needs and leveraging partnerships with economic sectors; and continuously developing policies and procedures to achieve these goals.

The ‘Dialogue on the Future of Higher Education in the UAE’ features representatives from all universities and higher education institutions in the country, as well as the Education, Human Development and Community Development Council, the Ministry of Education, the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge, Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority and the Sharjah Private Education Authority. The dialogue focused on five key topics: the student journey, the student admission policy, the licensing and accreditation framework for universities and academic programmes, the evaluation framework for universities and the associated risk matrix, as well as global university rankings.