Education reforms good for economy

Back to school is over. Students are settling into the new academic year. Now for the serious issue of education that will set the stage for the future, for the knowledge economy that the UAE aspires to be. Technology will drive these changes. It will transform minds and thinking. The youth will implement these changes. They will innovate through robotics, Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things. Some technololgy is already here, or is being fine-tuned. Sweeping reforms in the education sector announced by the government are expected to bring a sea change in how children learn, and how teachers impart the best practical solutions for the digital age and beyond. These are exciting times and the UAE wants to be an innovation and entrepreneurial hub of the world with best practices and projects. More importantly, it wants to be a seat of learning. His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, has often talked of Arab thought, vision and creativity. To revive the glory days, the UAE is looking to its schools, to its students and teachers.

“There is no room for excuses. We look forward to developing a new generation of students that is equipped to use the tools of the future,’’ said Shaikh Mohammed, while announcing the reforms. Conventional modes of learning have been discarded for a common sense, practical and technologically-aligned approach. Changes will start at the Kindergarten level. Critical thinking and problem solving will be encouraged. IT and programming that will be introduced at the primary and secondary level. Business management will also be introduced early, so will health sciences and design innovation. Khaleej Times summed it up well. ‘UAE opens new chapter in education’, said our headline. It is indeed a new chapter, an overhaul of the sector. The UAE is an economy that is diversifying rapidly. It is on the move seeking new challenges, while not taking its eyes off learning.