Chapter 2 Contextual Background of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Dubai is a stirring alchemy of profound traditions and ambitious futuristic vision wrapped into starkly evocative desert splendour. Anonymous ∵

To fully understand the themes within the participants’ stories it is important to understand the context in which these took place. Foremost in the context is an understanding of the Islamic roots that underpin the participants’ world view. Islam is inextricably interwoven into the everyday life of Muslim women, playing a key role in how they construct their identities of self. The values of modesty, humility, service to others, credibility, caring for family and the daily practices and rituals of Islam underpin the participants’ stories. The span of time of participants’ stories covered the 1950s to the present. During that period the UAE went through some dramatic changes in education, the socioeconomic sector and governance. Prior to Federation in 1971 the current UAE comprised separate emirates and was known as the Trucial States. The population was centered either in larger coastal towns such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi or in smaller villages in the oases and mountain regions. Economic activity in the urban areas was mainly centered around agriculture, pearl diving, fishing and mercantile/trading activity. Social life was dominated by a tribal system with well structured social hierarchies and kinship structures. There was no formal education system prior to 1953 when the first boys’ school opened in Sharjah emirate but children (boys) from wealthy families were often sent abroad for their education. During this period local children were educated by ‘mutawa’a,’ respected local men and women who taught groups of children in their homes. The mutawa’a taught youngsters to read Arabic through studying and memorising the Holy Quran. The mutawa’a was also responsible for reinforcing moral obligations and understanding of Islamic practices and obligations and was held in high esteem as a wise and respectable member of the community (Alhebsi, Pettaway, & Waller, 2015). This was the era that Raya grew up in. Even up to the 70s it was still common

© koninklijke brill nv, leideN, 2018 | DOI 10.1163/9789004372948_002 12 chapter 2 for parents to send their sons and daughters to local ‘mutawa’a’ in the long summer holidays. Between 1953 and Federation in 1971 the number of public schools and educational institutions began to grow. Initially they were funded from outside the UAE by counties such as Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt who also sent expatriate teachers and curriculum to support the education system. Some Emirati teachers entered the profession in Dubai and Sharjah in the late 60s, graduating from the Sharjah Institute of Education. The key impact on Emirati society in that time was the discovery of oil in Abu Dhabi in 1962 and then in Dubai in 1969 which brought unprecedented wealth and economic development. H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahayan became Ruler of Abu Dhabi in 1966 and immediately began channeling the oil revenues into roads, schools, hospitals and housing. H.H. Sheikh Zayed also led the next key development that was the change from seven individual emirates into the Federation in 1971 that was the formation of the current UAE. The leadership of those ‘founding fathers’ and of H.H. Sheikh Zayed in particular was visionary and forward thinking reflecting tribal cultural norms of caring for and supporting one’s own. Members of the community were energized and motivated by this leadership to take part in the development of their country. H.H. Sheikh Zayed led the UAE until his death in 2004 and today is still revered as the ‘father of the nation’ whose leadership philosophy and practices are emulated by Emiratis across all sectors of society. After Federation in 1971 the UAE gradually regained control of its own education system with the establishment of the Ministry of Education in 1972. Expatriate Arab teachers were still employed (although decreasing in number) in girls’ schools (e.g. to teach French) and were often very competent in their subject areas having been educated in other universities. Boys’ schools still relied heavily on expatriate Arab teachers but as the higher education system began to develop, increasing numbers of Emirati females began to move into teaching. This movement was aided by the opening of the national United Arab Emirates University in 1976, Higher Colleges of Technology in 1988 and Zayed University in 1998, each of which had teacher education programs.

1 The Educational Context

From the Federation of the Emirates emerged a new sense of national unity and a strong desire to contribute to and build Emirati society. The developing education system opened up new opportunities for young nationals. The UAE