There is no doubt that learning is the key to development and the foundation of the well-being of peoples and nations. Perhaps the call issued by the United Nations a few days ago, entitled “Education First,” is what the United Arab Emirates has established, since its foundation, in its orientations and objectives towards achieving prosperity and progress. This is what the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, may Allah rest his soul, established by affirming that human beings are society's real wealth, and thus education became widespread throughout the UAE.

Facts and Figures

The obvious facts show that the numbers of schools, students and teachers in the UAE have doubled tens of times since 1971. The number of state schools has risen from 129 at the beginning of the federation to 725 schools today. The number of students has increased from 24,000 to more than 268,000, and the number of teachers has risen from 1,585 to 29,406, including administrative staff. In addition, the number of private schools has risen from 24 to 473, and the number of students therein has increased from 4,580 to 545,572. In terms of higher education institutions, there are 80 universities and institutes in the UAE, and 110,000 students. These universities and higher institutes comprise 780 specialized programs.