UAE Ministry Of Higher Education Partners With Times Higher Education To Elevate Higher Education Standards

The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHESR) in the UAE has joined forces with Times Higher Education (THE) to analyse the country's higher education system. This collaboration aims to enhance the global standing of UAE universities in education and research, aligning educational outcomes with national goals. The announcement was made during Emirati Day for Education, themed 'Education By Everyone, For Everyone’, which focuses on transforming the UAE’s education sector.

Dr. Hassan AlMheiri, Acting Assistant Under-Secretary for Higher Education and Scientific Research Regulation and Governance Sector, stated that a robust higher education sector is crucial for development at all levels. He emphasised the Ministry's dedication to improving the competitiveness of UAE-based institutions, positioning the country as a leader in innovation and research.

"The UAE recognises that a strong higher education sector is fundamental to achieving development, progress and success at the individual, community and national levels through building a competitive knowledge-based economy," he said.

The project will unfold over five phases. Initially, university representatives will engage in training sessions to grasp THE's ranking methods and data processes. In the subsequent phase, data related to 11 subjects will be gathered for global benchmarking. The third phase involves evaluating UAE universities' performance against their peers globally.

In phase four, THE will assess local strategies against its World University Rankings metrics. The final phase involves benchmarking against top-tier international universities. This comprehensive analysis aims to refine policies that maximise contributions from UAE-based institutions towards a sustainable knowledge economy.

Phil Baty, Chief Global Affairs Officer at THE, expressed admiration for the UAE's commitment to quality data collection for strategic alignment with national policy goals. "At THE, we have been extremely impressed with the UAE’s nationwide commitment to collecting and analysing quality data to support universities’ strategic direction and align their outcomes with national policy goals for the benefit of the nation," he remarked.

The partnership will allow participating universities to understand their standing within the UAE's educational landscape better. They will receive improvement suggestions alongside detailed performance reports based on metrics-level rankings. This initiative aims to elevate the UAE’s higher education sector significantly.

Dr. Hassan AlMheiri highlighted that this collaboration with THE would help identify strengths and areas needing improvement across higher education institutions (HEIs). "Our partnership with THE will enable us to assess the strengths and areas for improvement across our HEIs," he added. This effort ensures these institutions are well-positioned to produce world-class graduates who meet future societal needs.

The initiative includes engaging sessions with stakeholders from academia and government sectors. Masterclasses will train universities on data submission and ranking methodologies. Ultimately, actionable strategies will be developed to propel the UAE’s higher education sector forward.

This collaboration represents a significant step towards enhancing educational standards in line with national priorities while fostering global competitiveness among UAE universities.

With inputs from WAM