UAE Ministry of Education Studies Korea's AI-in-Education Model as It Builds a Future-Ready National Curriculum

Eng. Mohammed Al Qasim, Undersecretary of the UAE Ministry of Education, has completed an official visit to the Republic of Korea to explore opportunities for cooperation in artificial intelligence in education, teacher professional development, talent cultivation, future skills, educational innovation and digital transformation. The visit reflects the Ministry's commitment to building a world-class educational ecosystem that prepares future generations for the knowledge economy, drawing on leading international expertise rather than developing national frameworks in isolation.

The programme of engagements was substantive. At Korea's Ministry of Education, discussions with Vice Minister EunOk Choi covered national AI education policies, mechanisms for capacity building, skill development for both teachers and students, and future trends contributing to more flexible and globally adaptable educational systems. At Seoul National University, Al Qasim was briefed on advanced programmes for preparing and qualifying teachers and educational leaders, and on the role of scientific research in developing pedagogical practices. At the Korea Foundation for Science and Creativity and Seoul Science High School, discussions covered national programmes for STEM education, critical thinking, creativity and scientific research designed to prepare future generations to lead knowledge-driven and technological sectors.

Korea's experience is relevant to the UAE's AI education agenda for specific reasons. Korea has deployed AI and digital transformation across its educational system at scale, using data-driven decision-making to improve system efficiency, empower teachers and align curriculum with future skills requirements. Its approach to technical and vocational education linked to strategic economic sectors is also directly applicable to a Gulf context where workforce localisation and national talent development are explicit government policy objectives. Al Qasim drew the connection explicitly, noting that Korea and the UAE share a vision centred on investing in human capital, innovation and technology as fundamental pillars of sustainable development.

The visit also addressed early childhood education, with a meeting at the Korea Institute of Child Care and Education covering school readiness policies and the use of research, data and evidence-based approaches in early childhood development. This reflects the understanding that the AI readiness that Gulf enterprises are now discovering they need in their workforces begins with educational foundations laid significantly earlier than university or vocational training, and that countries building AI-competitive workforces in the 2030s are making curriculum decisions now.

The Korea visit sits within a broader UAE push to build the human capital infrastructure for AI transformation across all levels of the national education system. The Ministry's Edu Hub AI platform, launched this week to serve more than 40,000 students across 74 higher education institutions, addresses the higher education transition management layer. The Korea engagement addresses the longer-term curriculum and teacher development layer that determines what those students arrive with. Together they reflect a recognition that the UAE's agentic AI governance ambitions require not just institutional frameworks and technology infrastructure but a national talent base trained to design, deploy, supervise and govern AI systems at scale rather than simply use them.