The education of boys in the Middle East has received very little attention despite falling retention and achievement rates and rising repetition rates among males. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), this trend is very clear; boys have higher dropout rates, higher repetition rates, and lower achievement rates than girls. Significantly, more females than males attend higher education, and women now make up 60% of public sector employees.

This study sought to answer two main questions: (1) Do national education priorities in the UAE reflect international education priorities regarding gender and quality? (2) Is there a difference in the quality of secondary schooling for boys and girls in the UAE and, in particular, in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah that may give us cause to question both the national and international priorities?

The study utilized a mixed methods approach to examine education quality at the national, state, school, and classroom levels. Statistics and policies on education and gender from the Ministry of Education were analyzed to show the depth and breadth of the gender divide. A case study approach was then used to compare four girls' secondary schools to four boys' secondary schools. Finally, observations were conducted within individual classrooms in order to examine quality at the classroom level.

The study found that while there is no articulation of an explicit gender policy, the gender neutral stance of the UAE government has inadvertently favored girls. The study also found that at the state level there are very pronounced differences in terms of achievement and retention between girls and boys at the secondary level. At the school level, in terms of resources, secondary schools were found to be much the same, but on other indicators, there were differences between boys' and girls' secondary schools that favored girls. Finally, at the classroom level, girls' classrooms were found to be more conducive to learning than boys' classrooms.

The study concludes by recommending future research into the situation of boys in the wider Middle East as well as closer attention to the slew of recent education reforms in the regions and their success or otherwise in transforming education.