The United Arab Emirates (UAE) education system defines a clear and organized pattern and guidelines for the students. The education system in the UAE entails different stages and types of schools providing vast choice and basically stepping stones for people who would like to receive good education.
Early Education
As is the case with most Middle Eastern countries, the educational process in the UAE starts at the age of three or four. This is also called “Nursery” or “Preschool” age. During this stage, children are first taken through some important basics of life which are education, that is, reading, writing, and arithmetic, and interpersonal relations. The purpose of early education is to assist children to secure their social and emotional development and readiness for the following stage of development.
Basic Education (Primary Education)
The basic education in the UAE is from grade one to grade nine basic education is a crucial stage in the development of a child. During this stage, the child receives the basic knowledge and this knowledge forms the foundation of the child. The stage is more often referred to as “Primary Education” or “Elementary Education”. The basic subjects are Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Language Arts and Physical Education. Curriculum is presented in institutionalized form to enhance the quality of education taught in all the schools in the country.
Secondary Education
Following primary school, there is secondary school education. This stage is divided into two sub-stages: The streams can be broken down into “Lower Secondary Education” and “Upper Secondary Education”.
Lower Secondary Education
The Emirati lower secondary education covers the student from the grade ten up to the grade twelve. In this stage, students’ concentration is on the acquisition of academic skills and planning for their further studies or jobs. These fit in the package referred to as the curriculum, the subjects, which are Mathematics, Science, Humanities, Physical Education and Vocational subjects.
Upper Secondary Education
The foreign education system practiced in the UAE entails upper secondary education as a specialized stage completed to achieve a certain academic stream or career type. Stem courses offered include STEM, mathematics, Biology or Chemistry and business courses include Accounting, Business, IT, Economics or law. Curriculum is laid down in such a way that it prepares the student with knowledge and skill to enable him or her secure a certain job.
Higher Education and Training
Once secondary school is done, one is eligible for higher education. In UAE it is offered at multiple levels: The Bachelor’s degree level, Master’s degree level and Doctorate degree level.
Bachelor's degree
Most of the bachelor’s degree programs in the UAE university takes three, or in some instances four, years to complete. These degrees are normally relevant to a specific subject or field, thus the coursework offered in these degrees ensures that the student gains adequate knowledge of the subject and a chance to study a specific topic in-depth.
Process of legal recognition of an academic degree which was awarded by an educational institution of any other country other than UAE is called degree attestation in Dubai. It is a required process for anyone to find a job, or for further education, or acquire permits to practice a profession in Dubai. Degree attestation in Dubai procedure validates the degree and its credibility as a qualification, as dictated by the educational organizations and the job market of Dubai.
Master's degree
Common among universities in the UAE, Masters’ degree programs are more elaborate and may take one to two years to complete. It is similar to a bachelor’s degree but focuses on a particular area of interest and caters the students for more professional careers in their chosen area of concentration.
Doctorate degree (PhD)
This means that doctorate degrees that are more famously known as PhDs, are the highest levels of education one can pursue in the United Arab Emirates. Mainly the programmes may take three to four years to complete and includes research and contribution to the area of specialization.
As for the educational system in the UAE, it is developed and it provides several stages and streams to meet the students’ needs. Each level of education beginning from the early years learning, right up to tertiary level education is structured to create pathways for success in future careers and to empower the students with knowledge as they pursue their degrees.
