A deal to end serious funding shortfalls at government universities and allow thousands more Emiratis to enter higher education is close to completion.
Universities would be funded based on student numbers under a formula that could be introduced by the start of the academic year, said Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research.
Thousands of applicants to state universities are rejected each year because of inadequate funding, while staff salaries have fallen out of step with international rates, leading to high staff turnover.
Officials from the ministries of higher education and scientific research, presidential affairs, and finance and industry have been discussing the new funding proposal. The shape of the deal had not been “finally decided”, Sheikh Nahyan said, but an agreement was close.
Last year, a total of 15,631 Emiratis applied to Zayed University, UAE University and the Higher Colleges of Technology, but just 12,238, or 78 per cent, were given places.
The Federal National Council was told earlier this year that UAE University needed an additional Dh500 million (US$136m). Officials at Zayed University say its budget has been frozen for the past six years, despite a 52 per cent growth in students.
“For the first time, we’ll have an adequate budget for Zayed University, UAE University and the Higher Colleges of Technology,” said Sheikh Nahyan, who is also president of Zayed University and the chancellor of the Higher Colleges of Technology and UAE University.
“Hopefully, we are coming out of our educational recession that we have suffered from for a while. As soon as it becomes clear that you link the budget to the number of students, it’s very easy for everybody. We don’t have to fight to try to justify every addition to the budget.”
Dr Lois Muir, the provost of Zayed University, said the new budget formula would be “very helpful”.
The situation was so critical that the university needed more funding “immediately”.
Subha Khamis al Shamisi, the education ministry’s executive director for higher education and scientific research, said “basically all” of the thousands of rejected students missed out because of funding.
“If there was funding we would find a place.”
Daniel Bardsley and Kathryn Lewis