ABU DHABI // Despite an increasing number of higher education options at home, UAE students still yearn to study abroad, and the UK remains their top destination.
About 2,000 students seeking undergraduate and postgraduate study were expected to attend the three-day Education UK exhibition, which opened at Abu Dhabi Men's College on Saturday before moving on to the Radisson Blu Hotel in Dubai, where it wraps up today.
The annual event features 42 institutions aiming to recruit candidates. Would-be students checking out the courses on offer on Saturday explained why the UK's reputation and high standards made it an attractive choice.
Asma al Hamiri, 25, who graduated from the business management programme at the Higher Colleges of Technology, said at the event that leaving Abu Dhabi to study abroad would be a "life experience" that would broaden her options.
Mariam Bumajeed, 25, added: "The universities in the UK have a great reputation. We know the standard of education there is the best." Although it is less common for Emirati women to travel abroad to study, as they are often still expected to be accompanied by a male relative, she said: "Things are changing slowly now."
Ghulam Rasool, 18, whose family is originally from Pakistan, said it would be his dream to study biochemistry in the UK.
"Only a few good places do it here, like at AUS," he said, referring to the American University of Sharjah. "But I don't want to live in Sharjah."
Alison Devine, one of the organisers of the fair, which is put on by the British Council, noted that "there are mosques in most cities in the UK" and that the country is "safe" for Muslims.
Students from the UAE nearly always return home, she said, bringing with them greater knowledge and the kind of life skills and experience that only foreign study can instil.
"The immersion in western culture on a day-to-day basis is the value that it has for the students."
The exhibition is also used by the institutions to develop partnerships and relationships with UAE institutions, many of which are partners in research and development projects.
For example, Kings College London has signed an agreement with the British University in Dubai for a postgraduate course on construction law that was approved last month by the Dubai International Financial Centre and will start in September.
Mark Chan Poon, the Kings College international marketing officer, has seen demand "snowball" in the three years he has been working the exhibition.
"The UAE is a very important recruiting base for us," he said.
mswan@thenational.ae
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
THREE
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Guide to intelligent investing
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WWE Super ShowDown results
Seth Rollins beat Baron Corbin to retain his WWE Universal title
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Shane McMahon defeated Roman Reigns
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Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes.
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com
SANCTIONED
- Kirill Shamalov, Russia's youngest billionaire and previously married to Putin's daughter Katarina
- Petr Fradkov, head of recently sanctioned Promsvyazbank and son of former head of Russian Foreign Intelligence, the FSB.
- Denis Bortnikov, Deputy President of Russia's largest bank VTB. He is the son of Alexander Bortnikov, head of the FSB which was responsible for the poisoning of political activist Alexey Navalny in August 2020 with banned chemical agent novichok.
- Yury Slyusar, director of United Aircraft Corporation, a major aircraft manufacturer for the Russian military.
- Elena Aleksandrovna Georgieva, chair of the board of Novikombank, a state-owned defence conglomerate.