“45.2% of public secondary school students in Abu Dhabi do not intend to enroll in universities, compared to 28% of private school students,” is part of the results of a survey recently conducted by the Abu Dhabi Education Council, which raised the concern of educators, experts in the field of education, and university professors, and some of them described it as shocking. .
They confirmed to Emirates Al-Youm that this would affect the outcomes of the educational process and create an educated middle class with limited skills.
They attributed these results to personal, social and economic reasons, most notably the burden of duties required of students, which led to making the educational environment repulsive to the student, and the defect in vocational and academic guidance in schools and universities, in addition to the fact that educational outcomes do not meet the requirements for admission to some universities.
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Most prominent solutions • Periodic visits by university students to high school students, to improve their mental images of university education. • Awareness campaigns in schools about the importance of the university stage in a student’s life and professional journey. • Being satisfied with the Student Proficiency Test, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Education for Higher Education Affairs (SEPA), and dispensing with “IELTS.” • Families motivate their children and encourage them to complete university studies. |
They pointed out that the pressures of life may overpower studies, so students resort to work to save the money necessary to meet life’s requirements, while completing university education at the expense of the agency where they work, especially in light of the high cost of studying in private universities.
On the other hand, excessive luxury may make the student choose the shortest and easiest way to achieve his goals, pointing out that the small number of scholarships pushes students to stop studying.
They proposed a number of solutions, including organizing periodic visits for high school students to universities, to improve their mental images of university education, implementing awareness campaigns in schools, about the importance of the university stage in a student’s life and professional journey, and limiting themselves to the student proficiency test affiliated with the Ministry of Education for Higher Education Affairs (SEPA). ), and dispensing with (IELTS), stressing the importance of families motivating their children and encouraging them to complete their studies.
In addition, high school students said that among the most prominent reasons for reluctance to enroll in universities is the need for universities for a foundational preparatory year after high school, and the high university expenses, in addition to the requirement of many employers that university graduates obtain a high grade, as a basic condition for appointment.
On the other hand, the Advisor to the Minister of Education for Higher Education Affairs confirmed that the percentage of students enrolled in UAE universities is one of the largest in the countries of the Arab region, despite the presence of a percentage of students who do not complete their university studies.
A member of the Federal National Council supported this opinion, saying that young citizens are not reluctant to enroll in universities, but rather are looking to secure an economic resource first, by joining jobs with a high school diploma.
The Dean of the College of Arts and Human Sciences at the University of Sharjah, Dr. Ahmed Salah Al-Amoush, said that the results of the questionnaire, conducted by the Abu Dhabi Education Council, regarding the presence of 45.2% of third-year students in public schools (of those included in the questionnaire), and 28% of private school students, no. They intend to enroll in universities, which requires intensifying the efforts of educational institutions to enhance the importance and value of university education in the minds of students.
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To view the full topic, Please click on this link. • Saleh bin Uthayth: Citizens are not reluctant to attend universities, but they secure an economic resource first Saif Al Mazrouei: The percentage of university students in the UAE is among the highest in the region • Saif Al Mazroui: “There must be a clear study of the number of students who graduated from high school but did not enroll in universities.”
Saleh Mubarak bin Uthayth: “Approximately 10,000 students, nationwide, submit their enrollment papers to military institutions annually.” Advisor to the Minister of Education for Higher Education Affairs, Saif Al Mazrouei, affirmed the Ministry’s keenness to provide study programs for all students, and the Ministry is working to increase the number of students benefiting from academic and vocational guidance, within second-cycle schools, and school and university training and employment fairs, and not just secondary school students. Educating them about the needs of the current labor market, future opportunities, and the specializations required for development plans, pointing out that a student who stops at the secondary level loses the skills required for the labor market, his job opportunities are reduced, and the promotion ladder is closed for him. He said that although there is a percentage of students who do not complete their university studies, the percentage of students enrolled in universities in the Emirates is one of the largest percentages in the countries of the region, stressing the importance of the family’s role in encouraging students to complete university studies. He pointed out the need to conduct a clear study of the number of students who graduated from high school but did not enroll in universities, and that this study determine the nationality of the students, and precisely explain their reasons for not completing their studies, and whether they are personal reasons or social and economic factors. Al Mazrouei stressed that all national students who have graduated from high school are provided with study places, including students who have not achieved the required grades for public universities, as alternatives are provided for them, including joining the Abu Dhabi Technical Institutes and the Higher Colleges of Technology diploma, which allows them to complete their university studies or obtain After obtaining a high school diploma, some students go on to study and join the armed forces and the Ministry of Interior. He pointed out that students who do not complete their university studies are the only ones who do not want to study, pointing out that the Ministry is currently preparing innovative solutions to confront these cases and come up with clear solutions that encourage them to complete their studies. For his part, a member of the Education and Youth Committee in the Federal National Council, Saleh Mubarak bin Uthaith, saw that young citizens are not in a state of reluctance to enroll in universities, but rather are looking to secure an economic resource first, by joining jobs with a high school diploma, especially if they are from Those with limited income, and then resume university education at the expense of the agency where they work. He pointed out that this trend is common among a number of citizens with limited income, especially since most military and civil institutions provide them with this option. A young man who studies for several years full-time faces problems in joining jobs after completing his studies, while university education remains open to him. And he’s at the top of his job. Bin Uthayth pointed out that approximately 10,000 students nationwide submit their enrollment papers to military institutions annually, which is an indicator that can be built upon. The armed forces allow the student who joins its ranks to complete his university and graduate studies, and the same situation applies to high school graduates who work in federal government institutions. Or local.
poll The results of a survey recently issued by the Abu Dhabi Education Council, in which 52,000 students from citizens and residents participated, 25% of whom were in secondary school, showed that 45.2% of third-year students in public schools in the emirate, and 28% of third-year students in private schools, did not They intend to attend university after completing high school, while 42.7% of government secondary school students have not yet decided on a university major. |
He added: “Some students are unaware of the true value of university education, which would change their lives for the better, by helping them obtain job opportunities that achieve the social status they seek,” pointing out the importance of organizing periodic visits by universities to secondary schools, to improve mental images. Informing students about university education and its role in determining their future, in addition to hosting academic professors in schools to hold open sessions with students, to convey to them their experiences in the university education process.
For her part, Dr. Amina Bushahab, a professor in the Department of Sociology at Ajman University of Science and Technology, said: “Trying out different education systems on students has made the educational environment repellent, especially since most of these systems are full of burdens and loads of assignments, which generates within the students a desire to Fleeing education quickly, and not thinking about enrolling in universities.”
She added: “There is a defect that must be quickly fixed, which is that studying is no longer a goal or goal for students as it was in the past, but rather a necessity only to obtain work in the future, in light of the increasing pressures of life that overwhelm the financial balance, so the best option would be the labor market instead.” From the study.
In addition, the social worker, Fatima Al Shehhi, described the results of the questionnaire as “shocking,” stressing that it requires careful and precise study by the relevant authorities to determine its causes.
She added: “The lifestyle that students currently live, embodied in excessive luxury governed by material things, played a major role in their orientation towards the shortest paths and easiest options to achieve their goals, so the labor market became their choice, instead of enrolling in universities, ignoring the benefits that they will reap in the future from studying, and here it stands out.” The role of educational institutions in raising awareness of the importance of enrolling in universities, by holding awareness lectures and seminars, highlighting distinguished models that have been able to achieve successes referred to as Lebanon, from During their enrollment in universities, and their insistence on completing postgraduate studies.”
Al Shehhi said, “It is the responsibility of parents to motivate their children, encourage them to complete their studies, and consider this role an integral part of the upbringing process.”
In addition, the Director General of the Dubai Knowledge Park and Dubai International Academic City, Mohammed Abdullah, stated that the reluctance of students to enroll in university education indicates a defect in vocational and academic guidance in schools, which requires quick and immediate solutions, adding: “Many schools and public education institutions It does not adequately prepare the student for the academic stage, and neglects to educate students about the university paths required for the future labor market, which prompts some to refrain from university education, and there are others who leave it after the first year of study. University, either permanently or to other majors.”
He pointed out that some of the reasons for abstention may be due to personal matters and problems, not related to the academic aspect, as some students prefer to limit themselves to the secondary stage and go directly to the labor market, as a result of a lack of educational attainment that does not encourage them to enroll in university.
Abdullah stated that the radical solution is to educate students, through schools, about the importance of the university stage in their lives and their professional journey later on.
Meanwhile, Dr. Saif Al Jabri, professor of Islamic culture and Emirati society at the Canadian University in Dubai, explained that students’ reluctance to study at university is a negative indicator that must be remedied quickly.
He pointed out that the most important reasons that push students not to complete their university studies are the high cost of studying at private universities, the difficulty of admission requirements at public universities, and the small number of scholarships.
He pointed out that one of the reasons is also the presence of jobs for high school graduates in some government agencies, with salaries higher than the salaries of university graduates, who are appointed in many government and private agencies, which prompts students to stop studying and work with the logic of not wasting time and exhausting themselves in studying, as long as There is a better alternative available, in addition to the fact that currently finding a job with a high school diploma has become easier than finding one with a university degree. Al-Jabri said: “This trend affects the state’s gains and the outcomes of the educational process, and creates an educated middle class with limited skills.”
For her part, the Director of Student Affairs at the United Arab Emirates University for Educational Development, Dr. Samira Al Nuaimi, attributed the reluctance of a percentage of students to enroll in universities to the lack of confidence of some in their abilities, their fear of failure, the shortening of the path by working early with a high school diploma, and the difficulty of studying in the English language, especially since studying In universities, the English language is taught, which many students do not master well. In addition, the educational outcomes do not meet the requirements for university admission, the most important of which is the “IELTS” requirement with a high score. She suggested limiting himself to the Student Proficiency Test, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Education for Higher Education Affairs (SEBA), and dispensing with “IELTS,” or placing the requirements for obtaining “IELTS” among the educational outcomes, so that the student obtains it with his high school diploma, as is applied in international schools. .
Students: Attractive job opportunities in high school only
Students in the secondary stage: Saif Al-Hammadi, Muhammad Abdul-Rahman, Khalifa Saleh, reported that the most prominent reasons for students’ reluctance to attend the university level is their desire to start their professional lives as quickly as possible, especially since there are attractive opportunities available to them with a secondary certificate only, in addition to the difficulty Undergraduate level.
They added: “The conditions set by some institutions to accept the appointment of university graduates are a reason to refrain from university studies, as the university graduate is required to obtain a high grade for appointment, which wastes the hopes of many who spent years in their university studies to no avail,” pointing out that universities need a foundation year. Qualifications after high school, and the high university fees, are also two main reasons behind the reluctance of many students from university education.
