With great pride, the UAE has recently rejoiced in honoring over 345 male and female graduates from the Ministry of Education's Scholarships Program. This jubilant occasion has etched yet another cornerstone into the robust foundation of the Union, which from its inception, has flourished with resilience and unwavering determination, harnessing the potential of the nation's educated youth to contend on the global stage, striving to attain success, ambitions, and objectives.

The wise leadership of the UAE has consistently emphasized the empowerment of youth, nurturing their competencies, personal growth, and leadership attributes. It has extended to them the privilege of accessing prime knowledge from prestigious higher education institutions across the world, spanning diverse and critical disciplines and fields of study. The overarching goal is to channel these educated youths towards fulfilling the holistic and sustainable development targets of the nation while fulfilling the labor market's demand for highly skilled and qualified national talents.

The UAE's inception of the Scholarship Program dates back to the early stages of the nation's development, ensuring successive generations of citizens are endowed with knowledge, experience, and expertise. Armed with these attributes, they shoulder the responsibility of fortifying the nation, establishing its institutions, and safeguarding its milestones. The trajectory of overseas scholarships commenced in 1972, with 23 pioneering students venturing to Arab and other nations. Since then, the number of scholarship recipients has grown, encompassing various academic realms and international territories. The current Scholarship Program at the Ministry of Education encompasses more than 822 distinguished UAE youths pursuing bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees across the globe's premier universities, spanning diverse corners of the world.

The Scholarship Program under the Ministry of Education has undergone continual evolution, marked by heightened admission criteria, meticulous selection of exemplary candidates, and a pronounced emphasis on studying at top-tier international universities. This evolution is manifest, for example, in the remarkable surge of students admitted to the world's top 50 universities by specialization, rising from 12% in 2016 to an impressive 52% in 2022.

These students embody the UAE on foreign shores; they are the ambassadors and bearers of its enlightened message to the world. They stand as the pride of the nation, embodying its grand aspirations and towering objectives. Placing its trust in these students, the UAE anticipates their return to channel their knowledge and skills into sculpting a future that is more prosperous and promising for their homeland.

The true wealth of any nation resides in its reservoir of educated and skilled youth, adept at navigating a fiercely competitive global arena. This competence is nurtured by their relentless pursuit of knowledge, skill acquisition, keeping abreast of new developments, engaging in research, critical thinking, introspection, initiative-taking, and fostering innovation. This resilience not only positions them but also their nation, as a formidable player in a dynamic world shaped by technology.

With such an elite of the country's youth, we can and we will compete globally.

Written by: 

His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Ebrahim Almualla

Undersecretary of Academic Affairs, Ministry of Education, UAE