Hard work at heart of higher education

• Last Updated: November 21. 2009 7:22PM UAE / November 21. 2009 3:22PM GMT

Exam answers written on the palm of the hand, crib sheets secreted in unimaginable places, textbooks consulted during bathroom breaks: if students invested as much effort in their studies as in these elaborate ruses, they could be at the head of the class. But of course the cheats are really just cheating themselves, robbing themselves of an education that can only be earned by hard work.

As the UAE’s educational sector matures, surveys showing that many students condone cheating are a genuine cause for concern. In response, universities are employing technological solutions that should uncover instances of plagiarism, one of the most grievous offences for any writer, academic or otherwise. Such efforts at educational policing are unfortunately necessary, but in the long run those who choose devious shortcuts will be exposed by their dead-end prospects. Quality, as they say, will rise above the dross.

The truth is that the cheaters’ hardworking peers are raising the bar. There is no better example than Ahmed Rashed, the 24-year-old who has become the country’s first doctoral student at a government university. After completing his four-year technical degree, Mr Rashed will be positioned at the forefront of his field. Those kind of credentials will be increasingly necessary to compete in the global marketplace.

Developments in higher education in the past year alone have shown that there is no shortage of achievers such as Mr Rashed. When UAE University announced its PhD programme, a flood of 1,000 applicants competed for the 30 scholarships on offer. That reflected the need to expand higher education at the highest levels to keep up with demand and the educational ambitions of the nation’s youth. The growing emphasis on research and development in national universities should also shift the country towards originating knowledge instead of borrowing it.

Just as important, however, is a culture of educational excellence at the lower levels as well. Unless students recognise the value of a good education – not just the certificate but the hard work behind it – there is little point in opening new institutions. Role models such as Mr Rashed are a vital example. No one can rely on cutting and pasting from Wikipedia and prosper in a PhD programme – or any other area of life for that matter.