Doctor Aisha al Sayer

Deputy Minister of Educational Activities at the Ministry of Education and the first woman in the Emirates to obtain a Doctorate

From her position in the Ministry of Education, Aisha can't help making comparisons between today's generation and hers: 'The two generations had different social circumstances, and consequently they are different from one another. Education was previously our main and only concern, and was seen as an end in itself, but today, education is seen only as a means to an end. Today's generation are looking to achieve other things in life.

About this difference she sees between the two generations, Dr. Al Sayer says:

'The physical conditions of our daily lives were hard and tough, but education was a major goal that we all aspired to. Today's generation, through the hard work and skill of their parents, have better living conditions and a high standard of living. But there are too many temptations in our society now, that can divert a student's attention. students today have to be special and creative, it takes a lot of effort, but I believe the present generation has great capacities; it has greater knowledge and perception than our generation did.

Many women of her generation have succeeded and now occupy important positions, does she think today's generation will see women as many women in leading roles?

She says: Today's generation has its own leading women. Leadership is to be successful in the position that we may occupy and become special through it. As there were fewer educated women in my generation It was easier for our talents and skills to stand out. whereas today there are many more well educated women therefore competition is greater'.

Comparing the levels of education in the UAE of the fifties and now, Dr. Aisha says:

The UAE has made enormous progress in all branches of education, so much so that the UAE has the highest literacy rate of any GCC Country.

The Doctor also rejected the possibility that there might be a diminishing interest in education among teenagers or of a fall in the numbers of students. She says: The statistics showing that female students outnumber male students giving the impression that there is less interest in education by male students, is misleading what is true is that male students are taking other up other opportunities in different vocational and educational fields such as the arts, the police and armed forces.

As to the future development of the educational system in the UAE , the Doctor says:

'All fields are open for development and renewal, our educationalists co-operating with the local and international authorities to define the right system of education for our children. But not all recommendations are applicable because they need teachers prepared to practice the new methods, also, developing educational resources to meet the needs of the future requires extensive funding, that might not always be readily available.

As to the welfare of our children , Doctor Aisha says:

'I am a mother of four girls, I never try to dictate their choices, what I try to do is encourage them to become special and successful in whatever they chose to do. I always emphasise the fact that being outstanding in something is a precondition for success, and I try to provide them with security and confidence, and to discuss their choices with them. It is very important that parents stay close to their children and participate in resolving their problems.

This generation is suffering from an absence of parenting, especially the father who leaves his place empty and not providing enough attention, care and guidance to his children, just concentrating on providing for their material needs, which is not enough.

Parents should also participate in their children's schooling by becoming actively involved with it. It is, after all a combination of school, education and parents who help children learn how to deal with society and life'.

Despite a long and successful career Doctor Aisha says she is still strongly motivated, wishing to continue her work. Moreover, she stresses that stopping her work would mean stopping her life, but she would not despair if circumstance prevented her from achieving her targets and plans, because according to her. 'achieving 20% of one's ideas and ambitions represents success'. She is optimistic about the situation of the woman in the UAE and sees no bar to the promotion of women to prominent positions within society, she says: 'There is no decision in our country to prevent woman from occupying important positions, on the contrary the political authorities in the UAE encourage women to reach leading positions and occupy them. In my opinion, the issue is a matter of time, for the woman's aim when she started her way towards education and work wasn't focused mainly on occupying leading positions, her motives were different though as important'.