Within the framework of the UAE's ongoing efforts to diversify its economy, its recognition of the growing importance of investment in human capital to build a knowledge-based society, and its promotion of the values of citizenship, the need for a skilled workforce will increase in order to effectively achieve sustainable development and the ability to compete globally. Developing such a workforce will need an educational system devoted to producing outstanding graduates able to meet today's challenges of the knowledge economy, reflected by the revolution in information, science and knowledge. For these important reasons, the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR) organized its 4th Annual Education Conference under the title “The Future of Education in the UAE: Innovation and Knowledge Production,” under the patronage of H.H. General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and President of the ECSSR.

The objective of this publication based on the 4th Annual Education Conference is to support the UAE's ongoing efforts to develop an effective and innovative education system that prepares its students and educational institutions to contribute to the country's growing knowledge economy and to compete internationally. This volume is a compilation of a number of the speakers' papers and puts forward a clear and useful set of recommendations for future education policy, outlining the latest perspectives on educational reform, while experts from within the UAE aligned those ideas with the practical realities of the country's current education system.