Abstract
Several initiatives have been taken to develop a National Plan for Giftedness in the UAE. However, the central challenge is the absence of a gifted education policy that is rigorous, structured, and coherent. Despite the diversity of identification systems, the UAE has witnessed a growing interest in giftedness that has generated streams of academic research, examining the opportunities and challenges. An increasing interest in giftedness within the educational sector and educational researchers notwithstanding, there are no agreed-upon unified definitions of giftedness or standardized identification systems of giftedness.
While special education is included for students across academic institutions in the UAE, gifted education is almost non-existent on its own. This paper argues that it is essential to develop such streams of specialization either as a sub-branch of the wider special education stream or as a sub-branch on its own under education. Equally important are steps such as building professional development programs and certification opportunities to fill the professional gap in licensure, qualifications, certifications, and employability. Gifted education is very recent and limited in terms of its existing academic programs or professional applications.
Hence, academic programs are needed alongside more associations and professional societies to foster research and education across the country. Careful monitoring of the status of giftedness and gifted education is paramount to the future of the field and to the constructive evaluation process of all the current initiatives and programs that shall contribute enormously to the advancement of gifted learners. Therein lies the need to provide solution-based interventions and generate creative ideas for the future of giftedness and gifted education in the UAE.
