Education
From The Report: Sharjah 2017
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In recent years the UAE has emerged as a centre for higher education within the GCC, with strong government initiatives, impressive infrastructure, a growing number of international collaborations and a multicultural student body. Within the federation, Sharjah is increasingly regarded as a key location for tertiary studies, home to its sprawling University City and two of the UAE’s most prestigious institutions, the University of Sharjah and the American University of Sharjah. Primary and secondary education in the emirate is meanwhile undergoing strong growth in both public and private schools, requiring investment and a re-evaluation of priorities.

This chapter contains an interview with Björn Kjerfve, Chancellor, American University of Sharjah.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Living lessons: The emirate aims to continuously improve the sector and attract more foreign students to its schools and universities
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In recent years the UAE has become an emerging higher education centre, especially within the GCC region, with strong government initiatives, impressive infrastructure, a growing number of international collaborations and a truly multicultural student body. Within the UAE itself, Sharjah is increasingly regarded as a key centre of higher education, with its sprawling University City and the 1997 establishment of two of the UAE’s most prestigious higher education institutions: the University of…

Interview

Learning curve: Björn Kjerfve, Chancellor, American University of Sharjah, on the way forward for higher education in the emirate
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Interview: Björn Kjerfv Has the proliferation of for-profit institutions in recent years affected the overall quality of the UAE’s tertiary education? BJORN KJERFVE: Of the 115 universities in the UAE, 79 are licensed by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and less than half of these are not-for-profit, tertiary institutions. This is an extraordinarily large proportion when measured against other countries. Indeed, in the US fewer than 20% are for-profit. To an extent,…

Analysis

Higher expectations: Tertiary education in Sharjah is making a name for itself
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With the founding of the University of Sharjah (UoS) and the American University of Sharjah (AUS) in 1997, the emirate took an important step towards the development of its higher education segment. Sharjah is now widely considered to have some of the top universities in the region, enabling the emirate to provide quality education to students from across the UAE and the world, while simultaneously developing a highly skilled technical workforce. The emirate is also looking to leverage this unique…