For people fortunate enough to get a tertiary education, their university years are often among the most formative of their lives. Amid the hustle and bustle of campus life and academic achievement, connections and friendships are forged that lay the foundation for personal and professional ties that can last decades.
The UAE’s reputation as a competitive and thriving cosmopolitan country makes it a beacon for young, ambitious people who want to equip themselves for the future. This has been borne out in their responses to numerous Arab Youth Surveys that have repeatedly ranked the Emirates first in the region in terms of the opportunities it offers. High-profile institutions such as New York University Abu Dhabi have enrolled high-achieving students from dozens of different countries over the years, many of whom will go home with fond memories of their time in the UAE and with friends from all walks of life.
This reputation as a place for achievement and connection looks set to be enhanced with this week’s announcement from President Sheikh Mohamed about a new Zayed Education Foundation. This project aims to provide a platform to attract and develop young leadership talent in the UAE. According to state news agency Wam, grants, funding and scholarships will help talented individuals “access resources to develop tangible solutions to global challenges”. The foundations' efforts will be expanded to other Arab nations and countries in the Global South through partnerships with educational institutions, governments and communities.
This is a 21st-century continuation of the principles that helped make the UAE a success story. Bringing people to the Emirates to exchange knowledge and ideas was an important part of the country’s journey under UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Encouraging collaboration by building personal relationships was a core tenet that guided the country towards a prosperous and stable future. The Zayed Education Fund’s planned expansion to young people from across the Arab world and Global South is also a reflection of Sheikh Zayed’s commitment to international outreach, as seen from the Emirates’ earliest years.
However, the new initiative exists as part of a wider whole. It runs in concert with other national strategies such as such as the Year of Community, military service and Emiratisation, all of which foster a sense of civic duty, build professional relationships, identify talent and encourage resilience. Young people have often been at the heart of these programmes, such as the UAE Global Youth Initiative that was launched in 2018.
Many of these initiatives stem from the need to lead the way, putting into practice those principles that have served the UAE well over the decades. By enabling young people to come to the Emirates, avail of the high-level education that it offers and make important, life-long connections, the Zayed Education Fund not only ensures a strong pool of domestic talent for the challenges of the future, it will build a network of future international leaders who can say that the UAE was an important part on their own journey to success.
