- United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a federation of seven emirates with approximately 83600 square kilometres and a population of more than 9.5 million.
- Ten percent of the population are UAE nationals.
- It is estimated that 90% of the population live in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah.
- In 2014, approximately 20% (2.64 Billion USD) of the annual budget was spent on education.
- There are more than half a million Emirati and non-Emirati children between 0 and 5 years old.
- The majority of children under three years old do not attend childcare.
- Most kindergarten children enrol in private schools where instruction in English is provided for a substantial time.
- Public schools cater mostly to UAE nationals and most teachers are university graduates.
- Instruction in the public schools is in Arabic with some instruction in English.
- Boys as well as girls enrol in kindergartens.
- There is no uniform national curriculum; however, the country is aiming to be leader in early childhood education through innovative practices.
Reference including in-text citations:
Mehana, M. (2018). Moving forward: Early childhood education in Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates. In J. L. Roopnarine, J. E. Johnson, S. Quinn, & M. Patte (Eds.), Handbook of international perspectives on early childhood education (pp. 85-100). New York, NY: Routledge.
Future Global Children 