Sharjah Ruler urges university students to focus on degrees that suit job market demands

Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi says students should choose programmes that 'benefit the community instead of wasting their effort'

Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, signs copies of his autobiography at the Sharjah International Book Fair. Amy Leang / The National

Sharjah's Ruler has urged prospective students to choose university degrees that will fill gaps in the job market.

Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi called on young people to consider degrees such as engineering and medicine.

During a call to a phone-in show on Sharjah Radio, he said young people, particularly those with fully funded government scholarships, must pursue qualifications that "benefit the community instead of wasting their effort".

He said universities should reject PhD students whose proposed study topics were not well justified, even if the government has committed to paying for their studies.

"The university should not accept any PhD student who does not commit to the fundamentals and rules of proper documenting during his research," he said.

Sheikh Dr Sultan, who founded the American University of Sharjah and University of Sharjah, said he recently received the names of those applying for places at higher education institutions, and would be working closely with universities to make sure they are embarking on courses that benefit the community."We have noticed that students have been accepted in higher education majors that the community is not in need of," said Sheikh Dr Sultan.

Many of the applicants are hoping to qualify as lawyers.

"We have a problem with the list, which is that a great number of students are seeking scholarships to study law," said Sheikh Dr Sultan.

"The law sector in this country does not need all these numbers and students must chose different areas of study that the community needs."

"We need to focus on majors in medicine and engineering, where we will find inventors and creative people," he said.

Khawla Abdul Rahman, head of scholarships at Sharjah Electricity, Water and Gas Authority, one of the emirate's biggest sponsors of students, said 375 further scholarships had been approved for Emiratis in Sharjah.

Another batch of scholarships will be announced in December, he said.