The first academic term of college abroad is a time when you get that rare opportunity to venture out of your social circle and meet new people. From the meet-and-greet events, to the “breaking the ice” games that inevitably save you from yet another awkward position of asking that new girl what her name was for the umpteenth time, everything is entirely new.
One particular game was supposed to give us a general overview of the people in our dormitory. Students who fit and agreed with a statement called out by the Resident Assistant, were asked to raise their hands. Some statements were very general, such as “ I am an out-of-State student”, where the responses were not particularly surprising. But it was later, as the more interesting statements were called out, that I came to a crude realisation: Our system of secondary education is in dire need of help.
As our resident assistant read out, statement after statement, from her pre-written list, and we raised our hands accordingly, the game continued to trouble me. “I can play at least one musical instrument well”: more than 80 per cent of the dorm students raised their hands. “I was my senior class’s class president”: again, more than 80 per cent of the dorm students responded. “I can speak at least two languages proficiently”: again, a similar response.
I managed to “pass” the musical instrument statement, only because my father had signed me up for private piano lessons from the age of eleven. What if those same questions were posed to students at university and colleges in the UAE, I wondered.
While the secondary school I attended provided me with a solid academic foundation, it nevertheless left out every other aspect that contributes building a well-rounded person.
Had I not taken out-of-school activities (notice how I said, out-of-school, rather than after-school), arriving for a new academic term abroad would have been a dreaded moment every September.
Not much has changed in the UAE’s schools since I last graduated from high-school, it appears. A couple of weeks ago, I was interviewing a college student for a story on Emiratisation, and his tone was marked with remarkable frustration as he explained to me how he could not get his high school teachers or his college mentors to take his writing hobby seriously.
He then went on to explain how an intensive two-month course in the United States provided him with the time to compare the striking disparities in what is offered to students in the US and what is offered here.
“If you have a hobby, they will help you create something beautiful. You become an artist with your hobby.”
His words are, unfortunately, not so far from the truth. Rarely do public schools in the UAE – or many private schools, for that matter – cater to the needs of the students who want to achieve more than good grades. The aspiring musician, the talented writer, or the promising athlete are seldom given the opportunity to flourish here at home. Their budding talent withers and they are left bitter, uninspired, or wondering what might have been. Their only other alternative would be to spend thousands of dirhams a month compensating for the lack of facilities and programmes that schools themselves should provide.
Sport and arts programmes – even student governments – are absent from many of the nation’s schools.
From my numerous interviews with Emiratis and expatriates living in the UAE, I am certain that we do not lack individuals with great potential and talent. But if we do not provide them with the creative outlets and facilities to “create something beautiful”, only those fortunate and wealthy enough will be able to pursue their passions.
There will be those, like myself, who will seek out and sign up with private after-school institutions, such as a music academy, to quench their creative thirst. There will also be those who will go to great lengths (metaphorically, and literally) to seek the support that they need. The frustration of the Emirati college student I interviewed will lead him to study in the United States, for a one-year intensive writing programme.
As we pursue Emiratisation and hope to continue our economic growth, we cannot afford to lose students with talent and passion. That is why we need to make sure our schooling system will accommodate both great academic minds, and great creative ability.
A trigger for change
A recent story about the youngest Emirati female CEO who launched a leadership programme to cultivate future women executives reminded me how sometimes all it takes is just one person to trigger change.
She did not let her new role as an executive overrule her duty to provide opportunities for other women. Let’s hope we hear more encouraging news like this from company executives, instead of the fraud allegations that have been occupying our most-recent headlines.