The Emirates College for Advanced Education (ECAE) has concluded the fourth edition of the Education First Forum 2026 at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi, held under the theme From Impact to Ecosystem. Bringing together approximately 500 participants and delegates, including decision-makers, policymakers, educators, researchers, students, parents, and representatives of families and the wider community, the forum reflected a participatory approach that places learners at the center of the education ecosystem.
The forum provided a space for dialogue rooted in the values of reflection, partnership, and collective responsibility, while promoting integration between the family, school, and community. This initiative aligns with UAE Year of Family and World Teachers’ Day, marked on 5 October every year, and supports the UAE’s vision of building a connected and harmonious education ecosystem.
Her Excellency Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of Education and Chair of the Board of Trustees of ECAE, said: “The forum represents an important annual national milestone, which allows us to revisit, discuss, and anticipate the future of education, while sharing responsibility for shaping the visions, plans, and projects that will define a future-ready education ecosystem aligned with the aspirations of our wise leadership. In this edition, we collectively adopt an ecosystem mindset and a shared sense of responsibility to develop comprehensive and integrated visions that deliver sustainable educational impact. The transition from impact to a connected ecosystem reflects our national objectives founded on integration, innovation, and the effective harnessing of artificial intelligence and human capital to build a leading knowledge economy.”
Dr May Laith Al Taee, ECAE’s Vice Chancellor, said: “The Education First Forum is a strategic platform for translating impact into sustainable institutional transformation. This year’s forum enabled us to reinforce the concept of an integrated ecosystem through evidence-based dialogue, immersive experiences, and high-quality partnerships, in alignment with ECAE’s strategic direction as a data hub supporting education policy and empowering educators for the future.”
In line with the agenda, this edition featured a panel discussion titled The Rhythm of Harmony: Aligning Home, Education, and Community for the Child. It brought together representatives from the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge and the Department of Community Development, alongside an education leader, the Abu Dhabi Youth Council, and a student representative. The discussion explored how stronger alignment between families, education, and the community can support children and inform education policies grounded in their needs.
The forum also featured an immersive interactive journey designed around a series of interconnected rhythms: the Rhythm of Home, the Rhythm of Guidance, the Rhythm of Belonging, the Rhythm of Direction, and the Rhythm of Harmony. Through this journey, the forum explored how the complementary roles of families, educators, policymakers, and the community can support learners’ holistic development and contributions.
During the forum, ECAE launched NAMA’A a family research-led initiative bringing families, educators and communities together to support learning, wellbeing and growth. The initiative will strengthen family engagement, nurture wellbeing and create opportunities for shared learning across generations.
By bringing families’ lived experiences into dialogue with research and educational expertise, NAMA’A will generate insights and build meaningful partnerships that support children’s development and help families thrive throughout the Year of Family and beyond.
The forum also recognised 96 graduates of ECAE’s Continuing Education Center’s Comprehensive Capacity Building for Educational Leadership program.
The forum concluded by reinforcing education as a collective responsibility and clarifying the roles of families, schools, policymakers, and the wider community within the education ecosystem. This year’s event generated practical insights to support future collaboration and integrated policy directions, reaffirming the UAE’s commitment to advancing a learner-centered education model and strengthening the role of the family within the educational process.
In its fourth edition, the Education First Forum further consolidated its position as a national platform for strategic dialogue on the future of education and for translating national visions into measurable initiatives that strengthen the readiness of the UAE’s education ecosystem.
