Young Emiratis 'need to be challenged'

Although 73 per cent of the students in UAE public universities are women, that does not translate into the workplace.

ABU DHABI // The problems faced by young Emiratis were explored this week in a report prepared for a UN agency. "We can observe that there is an absence of self-reliance by youth, to pave their way through life in a way to enable them to be good citizens, useful to their country and participants in decision making," the report said.

"Some young people are very careless and we need to do more to encourage them to continue their education, for example, said Najla al Marzouqi, public relations manager for the Family Development Foundation, which sponsored a three-day meeting here with representatives of 12 Arab nations convened by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia. The agency is preparing a regional report on the status of young people.

Some young Emiratis are beset by unemployment, poor education and drug abuse, the report said. "Young Emiratis are not challenged," said Dr Rima al Sabban, a sociologist. "They feel very well-off. The image of working for society and of work itself needs to be addressed. They need to be encouraged to speak out and think critically." The economic downturn might have the positive effect of making young Emiratis less complacent about the future, Dr al Sabban said. Change is needed in schools, where teachers do not instil in their pupils a sense of work ethic, participation and social responsibility, she said.

Dr al Sabban cautioned against labelling unpalatable ideas as "western" and therefore unsuitable for an Arab country. "We need to get out of this mentality of labelling anything we don't want to do as western and dismissing it," she said. "Examining oneself critically is actually more of an eastern idea than a western one." In the UAE, Emiratis aged 15 to 24 make up the largest demographic group, more than 25.6 per cent of the population, according to the report, which was written by a committee including representatives from the ministries of health and economy and Sharjah Police.

Since 1995, per capita income has increased from Dh65,000 (US$17,690) to more than Dh139,000, the report noted. But while the quality of life has improved, the report also noted the increase might have contributed to widespread obesity and a lack of self-reliance. "It's an indicator," said Clifton Chadwick, senior lecturer in the faculty of education at the British University of Dubai. "People who are eating a lot are not doing other things, such as using their brains.

However, he said, there were examples of progress, including the increasing numbers of young Emirati women who are allowed by their families to study. The report noted the imbalance between young men and women pursuing higher education. Seventy-three per cent of students at public universities are women. However, it also noted that women do not necessarily proceed from university to the workplace.

Recommendations in the UAE's report include establishing a national committee to co-ordinate policies relating to young people; encouraging more people to pursue medical and agricultural careers; and doing more to reduce the number of traffic accidents, the leading cause of death among young men. During this week's meeting Bader al Dafa, executive secretary of the UN agency, said the region's population aged 15 to 24 would rise to 79 million by 2015, putting pressure on education, the job market and social services. He said that would pose "daunting demographic challenges to Arab governments", according to the state news agency, WAM.

Experts at this week's meeting focused on practical and theoretical ways of incorporating young people in development, said Batool Shakoori, head of the agency's population and social development section. "If you invest more in this age group, it means you are investing more in the future," she said. "There have been some attempts, but the main point is concentrating on empowering, while providing opportunities."

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