Education in the country is traditionally considered as an important criterion to discuss the state’s progress. In the UAE, the history of the education system is rather distinct, and it includes periods of informal and formal education. Years ago, the traditional education in the UAE differed significantly from the current pattern in terms of formalism and systematization. Children were usually taught by teachers known as “mutawwa” and studied the Holy Quran texts. These teachers were discussed as authorities in different subjects. Later, scientists and scholars became united in “circles” to exchange knowledge. However, the educational system similar to the modern one appeared only in the 1900s, when the first schools were opened in cities. In 1953, the first formal school with the curriculum and standards was opened in the UAE to proclaim the era of modern education ( The UAE Ministry of Education , 2015). Therefore, the changes in the tradition of education in the country were significant, and this fact caused certain problems. Depending on the comparably short history of developing its formal type, today the education in the UAE is associated with a range of challenges that are important to be discussed in detail in order to focus on improvements (Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research, 2012, p. 12). Thus, the following research question needs are answered in the paper: What are the educational challenges in the UAE? It is possible to state that the most significant challenges include quality of education, low levels of literacy in English, teacher competency, teacher turnover rate, and student dropout rate. This paper aims to present the discussion of the educational challenges in the UAE, depending on the review of the primary and secondary sources and to provide a comparison of the education systems in the UAE and Norway. The Methodology Used for Identifying Challenges In order to identify challenges in the educational system of the UAE and propose effective recommendations, it is significant to focus on reviewing both primary and secondary sources. The reports of the UAE Ministry of Education, the reports of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) promoted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the national statistical data on the sphere of education in the UAE were reviewed as primary sources. Much attention was also paid to the scholar articles in order to conclude about the nature of challenges and to the articles published online in order to examine the current trends in the UAE education. Challenges in the Educational System of the UAE In spite of the fact that the population in the UAE demonstrates high literacy rates and the numbers related to enrolment in primary and secondary schools increased, there are several challenges in the educational sphere of the UAE that need to be examined in detail with the support of the statistical data. Quality of Education In the UAE, education was always discussed as the priority in the social development of the state, but the aspect of educational quality still remains a challenge. According to the assessments conducted by the PISA, the scores of students from the UAE in mathematics and science are usually below a