INTRODUCTION

The UAE offers a fully-fledged educational system for both boys and girls from primary level to university, with education for the country's citizens being provided free through government schools, colleges and universities. There is also an extensive private education sector which now accounts for around 40 per cent of the student population. Over half a million students are now at school or in college, while several thousand students, of both sexes, are pursuing courses of higher education abroad at Government expense.

Education from primary to secondary level is universal and compulsory and literacy rates are comparable to the norm in developed countries. An adult illiteracy programmed conducted in association with the UAE Women's Federation is helping to eradicate illiteracy among the older members of society. There is a strong focus on computer literacy and on English language teaching in higher education to equip young Emirates with the necessary skills.

State-funded educational opportunities in the UAE have blossomed since the establishment of the Federation when only a tiny minority of the population had access to formal education. A comprehensive free education system is now available to all students, male and female. At the start of the 1999/2000 academic year, 336,135 students enrolled in over 640 government schools throughout the country. Substantial progress has also taken place in the private sector, which accounts for nearly 40 per cent of the student population at kindergarten, primary and secondary level.

In addition the UAE's youth have ready access to higher education, both federally-funded and at the many internationally accredited private institutions that are being established throughout the UAE. Generous grants are also available for those wishing to study abroad.

EDUCATIONAL STRATEGY

Although the UAE has achieved much in the field of education there is a real awareness that constant updating of policy and continual investment in infrastructure is required to ensure that graduates are properly equipped to enter the workforce and assist in the country's development.

To this end, the Ministry of Education has released a draft policy document outlining a strategy for educational development in the UAE up to the year 2020 based on several five - year plans. The strategy aims to introduce the latest information technology at all levels including a computer for every 10 students at kindergarten, every five students at primary school, every two students at preparatory school, and a computer for every student at secondary school. The primary focus of attention will be on the needs of students, especially through the promotion of self-learning and continuous education programs. There will also be training programs for teachers since surveys have shown that although the majority of students can use computers and the Internet, their teachers were less familiar with this technology.