UAE Leads GCC In Early Childhood Education, With 82% Pre-Primary Enrolment

The UAE leads the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in early childhood education participation, with pre-primary enrolment reaching approximately 82 per cent.

That's according to a new analysis by Arthur D. Little (ADL) that also highlights that expanding access to nursery education remains a key opportunity.

The UAE is the closest among GCC countries to near-universal participation in early childhood education, placing it in a strong position as the region prepares for a major expansion of provision for young children.

In its new report, 'From Cradle to Classroom: Why early childhood education is a high-return opportunity and how GCC countries can seize it', the consultancy argues that early childhood education should be viewed as an investment in economic infrastructure rather than primarily as a social expenditure.

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Across the GCC, approximately 2.6 million children are aged three to five. ADL estimates that achieving its near-universal kindergarten enrolment benchmark of 95 per cent by 2035 would require around 11,600 new kindergartens and 116,000 additional educators.

Significantly, the report estimates that 94 per cent of the required kindergarten expansion would address existing gaps in access and quality rather than future population growth.

Amr Kazimi, principal at Arthur D. Little, said the UAE had established a strong foundation in early childhood participation, with the next step being to extend provision into the earliest years.

“The UAE has established a strong position in early childhood participation, leading the GCC at approximately 82 per cent. The next opportunity is to build on that foundation by continuing to strengthen quality and extending provision further into the earliest years.”

Across the wider region, Kazimi said, the scale of the requirement was significant, with much of the infrastructure needed to address existing needs.

“Our analysis shows that the scale of the opportunity is significant and immediate, with most of the infrastructure requirement reflecting needs that exist today rather than future demographic growth.”

While kindergarten participation in the UAE is comparatively advanced, ADL identifies nursery education as an important area for further expansion.

The report highlights differences across GCC markets. Saudi Arabia is expected to account for around three-quarters of the kindergarten expansion required under the consultancy's 95 per cent enrolment scenario, while Qatar and Kuwait have comparatively favourable educator ratios but further scope to broaden access.

The scale of investment would increase substantially if countries also expanded formal provision for younger children who are currently underserved.

Under a scenario targeting 40 per cent enrolment in the nursery-age segment, ADL estimates that the GCC would need approximately 40,000 early childhood institutions, including kindergartens and nurseries, and 224,000 educators.

The consultancy argues that expanding access could deliver benefits beyond children's development and school readiness. High-quality early childhood programmes can help parents, particularly women, remain in or enter the workforce while supporting the development of the next generation.

Yigit Saf, partner at Arthur D. Little, said early childhood education had implications for both human capital and workforce participation.

“Early childhood education should no longer be viewed simply as a social cost. For GCC economies, it has the characteristics of economic infrastructure and offers a rare double return.”

He said accessible, high-quality childcare could enable more parents to enter and remain in employment, while investment in children's early years would help develop the capabilities needed for future economic diversification.

“That makes ECE directly relevant to the region's human-capital, nationalization and female-participation ambitions.”

The economic case for investment is reinforced by research cited in the report, which estimates that high-quality, comprehensive programmes from birth to age five can generate annual returns of approximately 13 per cent per child, equivalent to around $6 in benefits for every $1 invested. Estimated returns for preschool alone range from 7 per cent to 10 per cent.

However, early childhood education remains underfunded globally. Around 175 million children are not enrolled in preprimary education, while an average of just 6.6 per cent of education budgets is directed towards the subsector. Unicef recommends allocating at least 10 per cent of education spending to preprimary education.

ADL cautions that simply creating more places will not be enough to achieve the intended developmental and economic benefits. Workforce shortages, quality and regulation, and parental engagement must also be addressed as countries expand provision.

The report calls for a more integrated approach spanning the full early childhood journey, from the first 1,000 days of life through preprimary education and the transition to primary school.

This would involve closer coordination between education, healthcare and labour policies, alongside investment in educator quality, appropriate child-to-staff ratios and greater parental involvement. The consultancy also highlights the potential for carefully governed artificial intelligence tools to support learning and educators.

For the UAE, the priority is to build on its comparatively high participation rate while strengthening the quality and reach of provision for younger children.

Kazimi said continued investment in the earliest years could reinforce the country's regional position and support its long-term economic ambitions.

“The opportunity now is to translate strong participation into deeper, high-quality provision across the full early childhood journey. By continuing to invest in the earliest years, the UAE can reinforce its regional leadership while strengthening the human-capital foundations that will support its economy for decades to come.”

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