With an increasing emphasis on youth development and employability in the Middle East, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has made a substantial effort to re- imagine and reform its public education sector. Local education authorities have implemented many reforms to try to shift education from rote memorization toward a skills-based system that prepares students to thrive in the 21st century. This policy paper explores the history of curriculum development in the UAE, the role of various agencies, ministries, and current initiatives as well as the challenges and possibilities that lie ahead on the road of reform. It concludes with recommendations for policymakers relating to the implementation of sustainable curriculum reforms.

In the face of rising demand for private schooling in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar, a lack of affordable schooling options, monopolistic behavior of private education providers, and unpredictable government regulations have created a complex and unequal education sector. This research employs a mixed methods comparative approach to explore the ways in which private education providers navigate the regulatory schooling environments and assess the impact on education stakeholders in the UAE and Qatar. The study finds that there are considerable socioeconomic differences in terms of who has access to schooling and that a growing for-profit education sector may be deepening existing inequities in both countries, leaving poorer expatriate families only able to access low-quality education or in the worst cases, unable to access education at all. The promise of non-profit providers as a viable alternative to ensure access is explored.

Over the last three decades, continued expatriate population growth across the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar has created an unprecedented demand for private education. However, a combination of a lack of affordable private education options, monopolistic behaviors of private education providers, and a mix of government regulations have resulted in serious issues surrounding access and quality. This policy paper presents the nature and implications of private school provision for access and equity in K-12 education in the UAE and Qatar. We find that, across the populations of these countries, there are considerable socioeconomic differences that determine who has access to private schooling. As a result of increasing growth in the for-profit private education sector in both countries, poorer families are ultimately left less able to access quality education than are their wealthier counterparts. The potential of non-profit schools to create greater equity and accessibility is discussed, and recommendations for policymakers are offered.

"Gulf nations are described as blessed twice, firstly by the discovery of hydrocarbon resources and secondly by convenient access to the expatriate pipeline coming from nearby countries (Arnold & Shah, 1986). Throughout recent history, dependency on temporary foreign workers in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has steadily increased. In the education sector, Arab expatriate teachers account for a significant percentage of the teacher workforce, therefore playing a critical role in determining the quality of the national education systems. This policy paper presents results from a study exploring the perceptions of Arab expatriate teachers in the UAE and Qatar regarding the push and pull factors drawing them to work in the two countries and the implications of this phenomenon for education systems and these countries overall."

Over the last three decades, continued expatriate population growth across the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar has contributed to the rise of a unique set of economic and social challenges. Among these are challenges relating to the provision of private education in the absence of a public option. In the face of rising demand for private schooling, a lack of affordable education options, the monopolistic behavior of private education providers, and varied government regulations have created a complex and unbalanced education sector. While researchers have studied the nature and implications of private education provision in the United Kingdom, United States, and other high-income states, no such research has been done in the UAE or Qatar. This research employs a mixed-methods comparative approach to understand the nature of the private education sectors in the UAE and Qatar, examine the ways in which private education providers navigate the regulatory schooling environments in the UAE and Qatar, and assess the impact on education stakeholders, in particular those at the lower ends of the socioeconomic spectrum. The study finds that there are considerable socioeconomic differences in terms of who has access to schooling and that a growing for-profit education market may be deepening segregation and inequities in both countries, leaving poorer families less able to access quality education. The promise of non-profit providers as a viable alternative is explored. تعليمي معقد و غير متوازن. بينما درس الباحثون طبيعة و تداعيات توفير التعليم الخاص في المملكة المتحدة و الولايات المتحدة، و غيرها من الدول ذات الدخل المرتفع، و لم يتم إجراء مثل هذه البحوث في دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة و دولة قطر