The department was initially established as an advisory council on education in 2005 by UAE president and ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, with the aim of improving teaching standards in the emirate by increasing the quality of teaching, curriculum, and administration.

[2] Additionally, it issues licenses, monitors, and inspects the emirate's many different private schools and public universities.

[7] In 2010, the newspaper The National wrote about poor student behavior as a factor into why some newly arrived teachers left the country without completing their contracts.

[8] In September 2012, apartments provided by the department suffered a courtyard collapse, rendering the site unsafe for several months.

[9] Local newspapers frequently report instances of cheating in schools and universities under the department's supervision, including the use of ChatGPT.