Middle East pupils have poor job prospects – the UAE is changing that

The Middle East has one of the youngest populations in the world. Sammy Dallal for The National

There is no shortage of immediate problems to occupy the minds of the Middle East's policymakers. The Covid-19 pandemic and rising food prices have taken a toll on health and livelihoods throughout much of the Arab world in the past year – to say nothing of the prolonged armed conflicts that continue to plague many parts of the region.

But for the Arab world's growing population of young people, what may seem like immediate challenges are, in reality, the staging grounds for longer-term difficulties. Last year's Arab Youth Survey found that nearly half of young Arabs have considered emigrating from their home countries – 15 per cent of them were actively making plans to do so.

The sentiment is unsurprising. Mismanagement and instability in most countries have diminished young people's economic prospects significantly. The region has the world's highest youth unemployment rate; nearly a third of young people are without work. The fact that a fifth of the region's children are unable to attend school does not help matters, but the lack of opportunities available for them when they graduate compounds the problem.

There are, however, islands of stability in the region that buck these trends. As a result, the desire to emigrate does not have to mean a desire to leave the region altogether. The UAE, for instance, has stood out as an economic and entrepreneurial engine for the region, where public institutions are strong and opportunities are abundant. In fact, for nine straight years, the Arab Youth Survey has found that a lion's share of young Arabs (46 per cent last year) list the Emirates as their destination of choice, over the US, Canada, Britain and Germany.

A unique programme announced in the UAE this week will go a step further in providing incentive for the Middle East's talent to remain regional. The Emirates hosts a large population of students whose families have moved to its cities from nearby countries and, now, those among them who perform well in their studies will be given the opportunity to stay, even in the absence of an immediate offer of employment.

According to the government, foreign-national high school students who have achieved marks of 95 per cent or higher in their final exams will be granted "golden visas', which give them UAE residency rights for a period of 10 years. Importantly, the visas will also be extended to their immediate families.

The programme expands another announced earlier in the year, in which foreign university students – even those studying abroad – with a grade point average of at least 3.75 will be offered the visas.

The new policy is the first of its kind, empowering school-age young people to decide their residency, and extend that sense of stability to their families, based on academic merit. It will also afford them the ability to seek employment or start businesses in an environment that is not only stable, but has strong economic links to the rest of the Middle East and beyond.

The region has the youngest population in the world, and an unusually heavy burden to provide opportunities for a younger generation increasingly keen to leave. In the UAE, at least, steps are being taken to reverse the tide and ensure that young talent is here to stay.