When the new registrar of the British University in Dubai says the UAE is making a mistake by opening up so many “branch campuses”, he sees the country as it was, not what it is becoming. In education, as in so many other areas, the UAE is transforming itself into a regional hub. Within a few hours flying time of the Gulf are massive populations that have only limited access to high-quality university education. If the Sorbonne, NYU and all the others provide attractive courses at attractive prices, they will succeed in luring students from these counries – as well as providing Emiratis with an alternative to travelling to Europe or America for their higher education.
As the UAE has demonstrated, it understands the importance of brands in this globalised world. It is now in the process of creating a powerful product image of its own – Brand UAE – that stands for the very best the world has to offer. It is why it is spending billions bringing the Guggenheim, the Louvre, Picasso, Formula 1 to the country. It is also why it is attracting the world’s top universities. Branch campuses they may be, but each will be extremely unwilling to tarnish the reputation of its own “brand” in any way, so can be relied upon to deliver the very best education. The nation, and the students who enrol, can only benefit.
In bringing the top names to the UAE, the Government is not merely demonstrating its commercial savoir faire; it is also making far-reaching statements of its own vision. It is stating, in effect, that it will take the best the world has to offer, even at the risk at times of upsetting its own more conservative elements. It is showing that it is committed to progress, but is prepared to debate how Arab Islamic values can advance and adapt without being compromised.
The UAE’s ambitious plans have been questioned many times before. But each time it has demonstrated that the key to the UAE’s success is positive, progressive thinking. Education is simply the latest example.
Page last updated 01 January 2020