Historical Development of Education in UAE

The history of education in the UAE is referred to ancient civilizations that were traced in many historical sites. In that preliminary period man educated himself by self education and gained knowledge by imitation and contacts. Latterly education developed by teachers who had knowledge in one science .Education in the UAE developed in that way from traditional simple  style to systematic education based on curriculums and lessons ,therefore education went through four types of systems that appeared in the UAE within its long history.   

First Type: (no formal Education –Mutawwa)

This type of education was very common for a long time , practiced by many males and females old teachers who were named “mutawwa” and “mutawaa”.These teachers depended on memorizing the Holly Quran and the profits Hadeeth ( sayings) along with practicing writing and calligraphy  plus knowledge in Islam and Wodow ( washing before prayer).There was a developed kind of Mutawwa education that appeared as a result of the differences in lessons performed by some of them and because they varied sometimes according to the variety of his culture and wide knowledge.   This naturally lead to a clear difference in educating  children and it continued until the beginning of oil discovery when it started to lose its role until it totally disappeared. 

Second Type: Scientific Circle Education

This type of education was practiced by few scientists , scholars and intellectuals who had a lot of knowledge in religious education ,history and grammar . It was held in mosque’s corners or in a private place in the house of the scholar himself or one of the merchants or an important person in the town. Circles and lessons were  prosperous in the UAE long time ago but the most famous circle was the one that included some Najdian scientists who lived in Ras Al Khaima during the last British Expedition in 1819 . UAE Cities witnessed  many educational hallways that were lead by large scientists who visited the country and taught bright students . Scientific circles and religious lessons were the recourses of  knowledge and religious education .The first UAE pioneers have graduated from such scientific and religious circles then they  started to wipe off when developed schools began in  with modern lessons curriculums that accompanied those evolutionary schools.     

Third Type: Developed education or semi systematic

In the period between 1907 to 1953 , the developed education began when pearl merchants (tawaweesh) were affected by the Arabian reforming moves and awakens. They opened enlightening schools in cities and brought scientists to manage,  supervise lessons and process of education in these schools . One of the popular developed schools in Sharjah was the Taimia Mahmoudia in 1907  and reforming school in 1935 .In Dubai it was Al Ahmadia , established in 1912 ,Salmia 1923 ,Alsada 1925 and Al Falah 1926.  Since 1936 , the evolutionary education in Dubai witnessed a noticeable development by the foundation of knowledge department .It was the first knowledge department in the UAE headed by Sheikh Mane Ben Rashid Al Maktoum , the leader of reformation in the thirties . Al Otaiba School was founded in Abu Dhabi in 1930 and laterally other similar schools started in other Emirates .Evolutionary education continued until the end of forties where many factors such as commercial recession that happened due to appearance of artificial  pearls , the effect of second world war on commercial exchanges in the Gulf  which reflected on such schools and lead them to suspend their operations.  Al Qassemia Reformation School that was founded in Sharjah in 1935 helped with its distinctive curriculums  in developing education and become systematical. On the debris’s of  this school the first systematical school –Al Qassemia - was founded in the UAE in Sharjah .   

Fourth Type: Modern Systematic Education

This type of education started with Al Qassemia School in Sharjah -1953/1954 which was the first systematic year in education that appeared in the beginning of modern or public education in the UAE. This education was organized and provided by schools , classes and curriculums along with tests and certificates given to students at the end of every school year. Systematic education developed in the UAE within two stages , the first depended on local governments and knowledge departments that was founded in the sixties while the large launching took place in the second of December 1971 when the seven Emirates were announced as a united country. Federal Ministries were founded and the Ministry of Education & Youth was in charge of different education stages . Many public schools built according to the modernist building structures and styles , equipped by new tools and instruments were opened at that time and provided with different teachers called in from all Arab Countries to contribute in developing education.  The UAE has witnessed in that period a big leap in the field of education by development in many aspects such as type ,scope and stages of education which lead to increase numbers of literates and wipe off illiteracy .