British universities try to lure students

Even as more institutions of higher learning open in the UAE, many young people still yearn to study abroad, especially in Britain.

The Education UK exhibition features 42 institutions. Above, a visitor makes inquiries.

ABU DHABI // Despite an increasing number of higher education options at home, UAE students still yearn to study abroad, and the UK remains their top destination. About 2,000 students seeking undergraduate and postgraduate study were expected to attend the three-day Education UK exhibition, which opened at Abu Dhabi Men's College on Saturday before moving on to the Radisson Blu Hotel in Dubai, where it wraps up today.

The annual event features 42 institutions aiming to recruit candidates. Would-be students checking out the courses on offer on Saturday explained why the UK's reputation and high standards made it an attractive choice. Asma al Hamiri, 25, who graduated from the business management programme at the Higher Colleges of Technology, said at the event that leaving Abu Dhabi to study abroad would be a "life experience" that would broaden her options.

Mariam Bumajeed, 25, added: "The universities in the UK have a great reputation. We know the standard of education there is the best." Although it is less common for Emirati women to travel abroad to study, as they are often still expected to be accompanied by a male relative, she said: "Things are changing slowly now." Ghulam Rasool, 18, whose family is originally from Pakistan, said it would be his dream to study biochemistry in the UK.

"Only a few good places do it here, like at AUS," he said, referring to the American University of Sharjah. "But I don't want to live in Sharjah." Alison Devine, one of the organisers of the fair, which is put on by the British Council, noted that "there are mosques in most cities in the UK" and that the country is "safe" for Muslims. Students from the UAE nearly always return home, she said, bringing with them greater knowledge and the kind of life skills and experience that only foreign study can instil.

"The immersion in western culture on a day-to-day basis is the value that it has for the students." The exhibition is also used by the institutions to develop partnerships and relationships with UAE institutions, many of which are partners in research and development projects. For example, Kings College London has signed an agreement with the British University in Dubai for a postgraduate course on construction law that was approved last month by the Dubai International Financial Centre and will start in September.

Mark Chan Poon, the Kings College international marketing officer, has seen demand "snowball" in the three years he has been working the exhibition. "The UAE is a very important recruiting base for us," he said. [e-mail]