In the whirlpool of sweeping social changes brought on by globalisation in the information age, educational institutions across all sectors of education are expected to keep up with these changes by implementing much needed reforms and re-inventing educational programs. In the UAE, language education has always been at the forefront of educational reforms as the country aspires to graduate bilingual citizens with a strong national identity ready to contribute in the multicultural and plurilingual context of the UAE. This panel of experts will first discuss the most recent changes in public education in the UAE with a special focus on English and Arabic language programs. Following that, the panelists will address the role of research in effecting long term reform and innovation in education and, finally, each member of the panel will provide a set of concrete recommendations and guidelines for major stakeholders in order to further support the successful implementation of reform efforts in the UAE and other Gulf countries facing similar issues.
