UAE approves higher education strategy to create "top 100" universities

DUBAI, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has approved a new strategy to lift its universities in global rankings, said UAE Vice President Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum on Sunday.

Sheikh Mohammed, also the UAE prime minister and ruler of Dubai, announced the strategy via Twitter.

He said the strategy aims to raise performance standards for UAE universities to enable them to become among the top 100 global universities in the world.

Sheikh Mohammed said the UAE has come a long way from having only 40 university students 46 years ago to having 77 public and private universities today.

As of today, not a single Arab university is among the global top 100 higher education establishments in various renowned rankings, according to Ali Shihabi, founder of The Arabia Foundation.

Sheikh Mohammed said the strategy will give "greater time flexibility for the students in choosing the final allocation without affecting the duration of study."

He also pledged to create programs to involve executives from the public and private sectors in teaching, urging his countrymen to pay more attention on upgrading the national education system.

The UAE, with 10.5 million inhabitants, of which 80 percent are foreigners, is endeavoring to reduce share of oil in its economy from 29 percent to 19 percent by 2025, through increasing investment in non-oil industries, such as education, digital economy, aviation and tourism. Enditem