Building a sustainable higher education sector in the UAE

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relevant economic aspects that could affect the sustainability of the HE sector in the UAE. Design/methodology/approach Data are collected mainly through secondary sources and based on the relevant information. Two constructs, namely, market factors and educational governance are identified from the literature. An empirical model depicting the different factors that contribute to these two variables is outlined. Findings Educational governance and market factors are identified as the key pillars which contribute to the economic efficiency in the HE sector in the UAE. These constructs are affected by relevant factors. Some of the issues relating to educational governance could be controlled. Though factors contributing to market conditions could be deemed uncontrollable, HE institutions could come up with better strategies to deal with those issues. Research limitations/implications The UAE HE sector could be a major contributor to the economy in the future, it is important to identify the main constructs and the associated forces which could impact the economic efficiency of the HE sector. The model proposed could be empirically tested in future studies. Originality/value This study is a novel attempt to examine sustainability in the HE sector in terms of economic efficiency, while previous studies have focused on the social and environmental aspect of the sustainability in the HE sector. Thus this study tries to address this lacuna in this domain by focusing on the economic efficiency aspect which is an important contributor to the sustainable development. The results may provide valuable insights for universities and regulators in developing appropriate strategies to improve the HE sector.

“New managerialism” in higher education: the case of United Arab Emirates

“…These results indicate that academic staffs in the UAE experience relatively lower pressure in terms of enhancing their research productivity. The finding reflects the findings from past research by Hvdit (as cited in Jose and Chacko, 2017) as well as Ryan and Daly (2019) who indicate that there is a relative lack of research culture and relatively low research production in the UAE (3). Again, this may be because the UAE higher education sector is fairly young, and until 2019, the country does not have any league table or mature ranking systems that may force universities to impose technologies of power on academic staff to enhance their research productivity (Behrent, 2013, p. 83).…”

Achieving Youth Empowerment in UAE through Incorporating Entrepreneurial Skills in Technical Vocational Education and Training

“…In 2007, the UAE Government devised a strategy that urged the development of a high-quality education to fulfil international standards and the needs of the workplace. Moreover, it also focused on promoting vocational education and strengthening scientific research (Jose and Chacko, 2017). Recently in UAE, the higher secondary technical colleges have launched a summer program for 7th to 12th graders in the pretext of COVID-19 pandemic and the future high demand of healthcare auxiliaries (AlefEducation).…”

Does social media marketing as moderating relationship between intellectual capital and organizational sustainability through university managerial intelligence? (empirical studies at private Universities in East Java)

“…Some researchers, like Sanusi et al (2008), believe that higher education sustainability, can be achieved through poverty reduction and higher education sustainability can be done through curriculum development (Dmochowski et al (2016). On the other hand, Jose & Chacko, 2017) believes that the sustainability of Higher Education can be measured through the application of the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) concept, namely by aligning the achievement of organizational goals with economic, social and environmental interests.…”