Introduction
Before the discovery of the oil in the United Arab Emirates, any
student who was willing to go beyond secondary education had to go abroad
especially to the United States or England. After the discovery of the oil, Sheikh
Zayed bin Sultan AlNahyan decided to spend the oil revenue for education. The
first higher education establishment in the UAE was the UAE University in Al Ain
and after came the higher colleges of technologies (HCT) in most of the Emirates.
The purpose of these higher education campuses is to help the Emirates to
complete their higher educational system in the UAE with government support. Higher
education gives the chance to students to study the subject that he or she is
interested in and boost the career prospects and earning potentials.
Higher colleges of technology is the premier choice for most
of the UAE nationals because it is provided everywhere in the country,
providing highly qualified instructors, high educational system and credited
diploma degrees. Also, it is one of the prominent federal colleges that are
supported by the government to graduate nationals in different disciplines that
supply the community’s needs. But with the new developments and increased
population, there are numbers of governmental, semi-governmental and private educational
institute competitors that attract the nationals rather than the higher
colleges of technology. The question is will the higher colleges of technology
stay as the first and premier choice for locals? Or can it be developed further
to reach other institutes level?
Problem analysis
College and university education has become very essential in
today’s life and without a college degree a person is unqualified to take many
posts and careers. Higher colleges technology provides credited diploma degrees
for locals in all the UAE’s cities. The
mission of the higher colleges of technology is “to keep pace with the changing
nature and needs of the community and region, by providing highly qualified and
work ready graduates”. Based on that, one of the students whose name is Hamdan
thinks that HCT is still the best and others cannot compete because it relies
on learning by doing that other institute lack. My point of view is I agree
with him that HCT relies on learning by doing as I am one of the HCT’s senior
students who succeeded by on using the learning outcomes at the work placement
both theoretically and practically. Another student called Khaled thinks that
it is a matter of time when other educational institutes will be ahead of HCT.
In reality, HCT is supported by the government and is fully provided with
modern academic learning resources such as libraries, learning resource
centers, textbooks, iPad, laptops, computers and Internet access. It gives the
students the opportunity to graduate with the following outcomes:
·
Critical and creative thinking
·
Global awareness and citizenship
·
Communication and information literacy
·
Technological literacy
·
Mathematical literacy
·
Self-management and independent learning
·
Team work and leadership
HCT has all the resources and qualifications for better
learning, so I don’t agree with Khaled. Imad is another student who thinks that
each educational institute has a different task and mission to foster education
in UAE, so there will be no competition. They all complement each other for the
good of this society I fully agree with his thought. For example, HCT is
considered as the largest educational provider in the UAE that provides a wide
range of various disciplines whereas the Petroleum Institute provides only
engineering disciplines that suits ADNOC’s need. Each college or institute has
it is own objectives and disciplines to meet their purposes and society’s
needs. The education in HCT is free because the funding is coming from the
federal government which adds strength to the HCT in attracting students rather
than choosing private institutes where they have to fund from their own
budgets. HCT has branches in each city and town within the UAE with segregated
colleges for males and females. This adds value to HCT because the segregated
colleges are compatible with the UAE’s traditions.
Conclusion
In conclusion, The Higher Colleges of
Technology (HCT) is a UAE federal system of business and technical vocational
tertiary colleges established for Emirati students, with colleges in most large
cities in the UAE. It benefits the students in a number of ways, it lets them
experience a rich cultural and social scene, meet different people and study
what is interesting based on their capabilities, leads to increased earning
potentials and a more rewarding career. HCT
must keep up to date with the rapid growth of the country and with the new
technologies to still be the first choice of the locals to complete their
higher studies. Also, it must consider the new developmental changes and community
requirements.
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