UAE seeks knowledge-based economy, says daily

    By IANS/WAM,

    Abu Dhabi: The United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) vision of prospering through a powerful knowledge-based economy is a vital part of how the country plans to break free from its dependency on the oil sector, a daily has said.

    “Other larger countries have the option to look at manufacturing, but the UAE’s small national population means that it has to focus on developing a national workforce that is ready to work with knowledge-based skills”, the Gulf News reported.

    Achieving this vision depends on young nationals taking a renewed interest in studying core subjects like maths and science; while this is happening to a small extent, it needs to happen a lot more.

    It is important that the UAE’s students recognise what is on offer in the country: In addition to the well-established national universities run by the federal government, there are also more than 40 international universities that have set up campuses in Dubai International Academic City (DIAC) and Dubai Knowledge Village (DKV).

    The UAE needs to give its young people vocational skills in these vital areas to develop the necessary high capability of fostering innovation, the daily quoted Ayoub Kazim, managing director of DIAC and DKV, as saying.