Technology is the key to bringing education to disadvantaged people around the world, according to Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

Technology empowered the individual and enhanced the quality of life, he said in an interview with an influential US online journal. And investment in education and people was essential to enable countries to compete and create a better world.

When asked why he had initiated the use of mobile technology in education, he said: "We started it to break down the barriers that you can only study in a confined area or you have to study with a big computer that you cannot carry, or in a lab. It should be easy, as easy as texting or talking on the phone. The mobile technology could be anywhere.

"People very much feel friendly with technology. They can use it easily. For the first time in human history the individual has been empowered."

He said that if he wanted to present a cause or an issue to the world he could use technology to do so within a few hours. "It will be all over the world," he added. "So if I have a good cause, I can get to people. If I have a problem my government cannot stop me. My students can't stop me. My people can't stop me. I can get through.

"That's also why we have to empower them. We can use this technology to enhance the quality of life for people who are less fortunate than us because through it they can educate themselves. They can interact with the world."

Sheikh Nahyan used an experience in Pakistan to illustrate the transforming potential of technology.

"I remember we were in a village where we go hunting. We introduced the GSM [mobile phone] service there and it changed their lives. Why? Because before the farmers used to cut their crop and wait until people came from the city to purchase their crop, and sometimes it took too long.

"If they needed medicine, they had to go all the way to the city. Now with GSM, collectively they interact with each other. They say, 'OK, is your crop ready? My crop is ready'. Then they call the people from the city to come and take it. It is more efficient.

"The quality of life became better. If they need something from the city collectively, they interact with each other and order what they want. So that has made their lives much easier and trading much easier. So that's what happened to one village. Imagine what happens to many villages if we introduce technology."

He said modern devices have become very user-friendly. "You don't need to have electricity. In this village they use small gadgets – you wind up to create energy for recharging the phone."

He said steps must be taken to head off the threat of a shortage of skilled workers in the near future.

"We have to invest in human resources because no matter how much money we will have in the near future, we will lack human resources. You might have the best hospital in the world, with the best equipment. You will not have the people to man it. You might build it, but it doesn't mean you'll have anyone to run it.

"So we have to invest in the human. That's our future. The comparative advantage of any nation will be the quality of education."

About the challenges the UAE and the rest of the region faced in trying to create a top-class education system, Sheikh Nahyan said: "We face difficulties. I think difficulties and problems make it more interesting and exciting. We should thrive. I believe my intentions are good and have nothing to hide. So I can face these challenges.

"Sometime people use religion against you if they lose their job. Every time you bring change, the change curve always goes down first before it starts going up."

He said you had to have the commitment, the assurance and the confidence to continue with a programme of change until the situation improved. "I have just been talking to some people. Somebody said: 'Oh, no, we've been making a few changes again and I'm sure it's going to create an issue'. But when you're in charge you can take on these issues. And in the end you say, 'If I am in this position, this is my responsibility'."

He said it was important to be honest and do what you thought was right after studying an issue. "If I'm wanted, then I'll do it. If I'm not wanted, then I leave. So I'm never afraid of losing my job. I never wanted to get anything from my job.

"I just wanted to do what is good and help countries that will invest more in education to make [the world] a better place for everybody."

- Sheikh Nahyan was interviewed by Knowledge@ Wharton, the online journal of the Wharton School, the University of Pennsylvania's business school. Courtesy Insead Knowledge