The diversity of higher education institutions in the United Arab Emirates raises concerns among authorities regarding the standards of education, as different universities use different approaches and assessment criteria, which may affect the quality of education in general.
In particular, the educational institutions of Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah, located in free economic zones, are causing concern. Many of the foreign universities open their branches without a license from the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. Such branches, unlike federal universities, the standards of which are established by the ministry, are guided by the standards of foreign universities, which leads to the absence of any uniform results.
In the Dubai Free Economic Zone Dubai Knowledge Village (Dubai Knowledge Village), there are about 20 universities that are controlled by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA). There are 14 universities in the Ras Al Khaimah Free Trade Zone.
In the capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi is much more difficult to open a private university or a branch of a foreign educational institution. Abu Dhabi's education standards are harmonized between the Abu Dhabi Education Board (Adec) and the Ministry of Education. Since there are no specialized education-oriented free economic zones in the capital, all universities must be licensed by the Ministry of Higher Education and accredited by the Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA), which considers the programs and academic staff of universities when making their decisions.
Many representatives of large universities in the UAE believe that, ideally, all higher education institutions in the country should be licensed by the Ministry for educational activities and accredited by the relevant authorities. Only in this case can one be sure of ensuring a decent quality of higher education in the Emirates.
