Critical Thinking in the United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates scored a total of 1 out of a possible 12 points in the Critical Thinking Global Report.

To what extent can freedom of thought and expression flourish within an evidence-based legal framework that upholds the rights of individuals? To what extent do critical thinking principles inform local education policy and play a central role in students’ cognitive development? To what extent is it possible to openly and safely question prevailing ideologies and sociocentric thought in the community and workplace? Key Question 0 points 1 point 2 points 3 points 4 points Individual Citizens Education System Community Values Freedom of thought and expression are actively discouraged. Freedom of thought and expression are not encouraged or upheld. Freedom of thought and expression are generally upheld legally but with some serious limitations. Freedom of thought and expression are generally encouraged but with some minor limitations. Freedom of thought and respectful expression are actively encouraged. Critical thinking plays a negligible role in local education policy. Critical thinking plays a minor role in local education policy. Critical thinking plays a role in local education policy, alongside other ideologies. Critical thinking plays a significant role in local education policy. Critical thinking is the cornerstone of local education policy. Public questioning of prevailing ideology and sociocentric thought is not safe to undertake. Public questioning of prevailing ideology and sociocentric thought is often unsafe to undertake. Public questioning of prevailing ideology and sociocentric thought is possible and usually safe to undertake. Public questioning of prevailing ideology and sociocentric thought is fully safe to undertake. Public questioning of prevailing ideology and sociocentric thought is safe to undertake and encouraged.

The Report rankings by country can be seen here.

Note 1: 111 countries are included in the Report. We hope to increase this number for our second edition. We apologise for not being currently able to include every single country.

Note 2: The scoring is not an indicator of the critical thinking abilities of any individuals. It is all about the backdrop or context in which people are living and the extent to which they can implement critical thinking safely and legally. It should therefore be noted that it is entirely possible for a country with a low rating to have many citizens who are active critical thinkers, and that it is also entirely possible for a country with a high rating to have many citizens who are not active critical thinkers. This report is about countries rather than individuals.

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