The Higher Education Committee discusses ways to develop the higher education system in the country

The Higher Education Committee held its fourth meeting for the year 2025, chaired by His Excellency Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Awar, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation and Acting Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, in the presence of committee members who are representatives of federal agencies and higher education institutions in the country.


Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Awar chairs the Higher Education Committee, which was formed at the beginning of this year, by a decision by the Education, Human Development and Society Council. Its membership includes Shamma bint Suhail Al Mazrouei, Minister of Community Empowerment and Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees of Zayed University, Dr. Ahmed Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of Sports and President of the Higher Colleges of Technology, and Zaki Anwar Nusseibeh, Cultural Advisor to His Highness the President of the State, Supreme President of the United Arab Emirates University.


The committee’s membership includes representatives of a number of concerned authorities, such as: (the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, and the Emirates Council for Research and Development).


Dr. Abdul Rahman Al Awar stressed the importance of the committee’s role in enhancing coordination and integration between the various components of the higher education system in the country, ensuring that this system is flexible, proactive, and linked to the needs of the labor market and national priorities. His Excellency pointed out that the committee is working to support higher education institutions to be more efficient, sustainable and prepared for the future, capable of graduating national competencies who possess the skills and knowledge required by the future economy, in line with the objectives of the “We Are the Emirates 2031” vision and the directives of the wise leadership in building a knowledge-based economy.


During the meeting, the committee discussed developments in implementing the recommendations of the previous meeting, where the final admission report was presented for students registered in the unified national registration system for the first semester of the academic year 2025-2026, including the final admission results for all categories until the end of September 2025.
The meeting also reviewed the latest developments in initiatives to enhance the efficiency of federal higher education institutions, in addition to discussing initiatives to integrate artificial intelligence into higher education, aimed at accelerating the development of academic programs and raising their efficiency, by adopting smart technologies in education, evaluation, and university administration. The committee also reviewed the most prominent initiatives implemented by higher education institutions in this field.


Advisory Committee for Higher Education and Future Skills
The Supreme Committee reviewed the results of the work of the Advisory Committee for Higher Education and Future Skills, which emerged from it, which includes five main working groups of academic and industrial leaders in the country, which are: (the health sciences group concerned with health education and training programs and the health workforce, the group for employing artificial intelligence technologies in higher education, the group for partnership between economic sectors in the labor market and higher education institutions, and the group for the future of jobs and skills in The labor market, in addition to the supply and demand pool of the workforce in public and higher education).


The Advisory Committee’s report discussed the most prominent projects that the working groups are working on, including enhancing cooperation between higher education and industry, supporting health and education programmes, bridging the gap between public and higher education, and employing artificial intelligence in education. Organizing specialized forums for each working group was also discussed. To showcase the initiatives and achievements that have been achieved, and ensure the transfer of knowledge between the education, business and economic sectors.


It should be noted that the Higher Education Committee is concerned with coordinating and harmonizing the strategic directions of higher education institutions, studying and proposing development policies aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of the higher education and scientific research sector, in addition to following up on the implementation of approved strategies and policies, and evaluating their performance periodically, to ensure that their outputs are consistent with the “National Strategy for Higher Education 2030” and labor market requirements. The committee also works to increase the absorptive capacity of federal educational institutions, organize academic programs and tracks, and enhance cooperation between educational institutions and local councils to develop joint research and development programs.