UAE marks 'Emirati Day for Education', reaffirms commitment to future generations

   The United Arab Emirates on Saturday will mark 'Emirati Day for Education', a national milestone established by President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to honour the sector's pivotal role in nation-building and future leadership. 

The date, 28th Febraury, holds historical significance, as it marks the graduation of the first group of teachers from the United Arab Emirates University in 1982, an event attended by the UAE’s Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, along with the Rulers of the Emirates. 

Today, the occasion underscores the UAE’s commitment to a world-class education system aligned with the UAE Centennial 2071 goals. 

In recent years, the sector has seen a qualitative transformation, characterised by the integration of Artificial Intelligence as a mandatory subject from kindergarten to Grade 12, positioning the UAE as a global pioneer in tech-driven schooling. In addition, the launch of Zayed Education Foundation, which aims to support 100,000 young talents by 2035, to tackle global challenges through research and innovation. 

This is complemented by the Mohammed bin Rashid Government Scholarships, which have launched master’s programmes in AI and public policy, and the Mohamed bin Zayed Award for Best Teacher's 'Executive Educational Excellence Pioneers' programmme designed to scale the impact of elite educators. 

Structural reforms for the 2025-2026 academic year have also modernised the student experience, including the removal of centralised second-semester exams in favour of school-based assessments to improve student wellbeing. 

Additionally, the Ministry of Education has refined the Cycle 3 curriculum into "advanced and general" streams to better align student specialisations with market needs in fields ranging from medicine and engineering to law and business. 

The UAE remains equally committed to preserving its cultural heritage, implementing strict guidelines for Arabic, Islamic studies, and national identity subjects across all private schools. 

This balanced approach is supported by a robust infrastructure that saw a record-breaking 13 percent increase in higher education admissions for the 2024-2025 academic year, reaching 57,037 new students. Significantly, female students account for 54 percent of these enrollments, highlighting the country's success in achieving gender balance in advanced learning. 

With over one million students currently enrolled and 23,000 educators recently trained in the latest AI-driven methodologies, the UAE enters its national education day by solidifying its status as a global hub for knowledge and human capital investment.

WAM