UAE: Bridging the KE

To create a generation of inquiring minds in the UAE, groundwork needs to start at the earliest stages of a child’s education from kindergarten to primary school and beyond.  This was the view of experts who comprise the newly formed University Leadership Council (ULC), who were speaking at the “Bridging the Knowledge Economy” forum in Abu Dhabi last week.  The founding members of the ULC belong to Masdar Institute of Science and Technology; Khalifa University; UAE University; Zayed University and the American University of Sharjah.  The ULC outlined the key requirements of a knowledge society that the UAE is working towards and how universities could help achieve it.  “A knowledge society requires a certain state of mind. But you can’t create a state of mind at the university level,” said ULC member and Zayed University provost Dr Larry Wilson.  Dr Wilson said an inquiring mind develops at an early level — from elementary school — where concepts of investigative learning are taught. This makes a big difference when these students come to university, he said.  “Everything from the kindergarten to PhD level needs to be tailored to the knowledge economy,” reiterated Dr Rory Hume, provost of UAE University.  Rest