Public Education is free for all citizens through university but expatriates are only able to attend these schools if they pay a fee.
Education is compulsory through to the ninth grade, although, this isn’t strictly enforced with only 85% of male children enrolling and only 82% of females. Out of these, 97% reached the 5
th grade. Secondary school figures are even lower with only 62% of males enrolled and only 66% of females.
Across the board, the UAE was rated a .79 on its Education Index which scored lower than other Middle Eastern countries which fell typically between .87 and .80. Due to this scoring, the UAE government began to believe that the poor grasp of English and lack of English throughout the schools was one of the main reasons that Emirati had a hard time finding work and thus it began a new program in schools modelled after the one in New South Wales, Australia, which scored the highest Education Index in the World at 0.99.
Higher Education facilities are available in Abu Dhabi and more notably in Dubai, where the dedicated education zone, Dubai Knowledge Village based in Dubai Internet City incorporated a range of globally recognized universities, training centers, e-learning and research & development facilities into a singular 1km long campus. Dubai is also known for housing the highest-scoring private schools in the Emirates.
