Cabinet approves a proposed federal law on compulsory education

Al Ain: The UAE Cabinet has approved the issuance of a proposed Federal Law which makes education compulsory from the age six to 18 years of age for UAE citizens.

The new law will replace the current federal law which stipulates that only primary education is compulsory for UAE citizens.

This came during a Cabinet meeting chaired by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, which was held at the Zayed Central Library located in UAE University’s Library.

Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, and Lieutenant-General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, were present.

The new law will amend the levels of education that will be made compulsory, and will include a mechanism for ensuring the law’s implementation, punishments that will be enforced to ensure that the law’s stipulations are not ignored, as well as specifying the minimum and maximum age for when a child should be entered into the compulsory education system.

“Education is the right of every child in the UAE. Spreading education and its development is a priority for the development process, and a general humanitarian principle and basic right that cannot be overlooked,” said Shaikh Mohammad.

“Our meeting today is held at one of the educational edifices in the UAE, which makes it a great occasion to approve the issuance of this federal law which ensures that all children have the right to education, which helps prepare them for life, qualify them to become contributive members of society, develop their character, morals, talents and skills,” he added.

The law stipulates that education is the right of every Emirati citizen that will be provided and paid for by the government in public schools and institutions.

The law stipulates that education will be compulsory for children once they are six years old, and will remain so until they complete their education or reach 18 years of age, whichever comes first.

The proposed law states that the guardian of the child will be responsible for ensuring that the child completes his or her education, as well as following up on the child’s attendance and commitment to school hours set by the Ministry of Education.

If the guardian of the child does abide by the law, they will receive a warning and a fine of Dh 10,000. The case can also be referred to court if the offence is repeated.

The Cabinet approved setting up a UAE Embassy in Conakry, Guinea, and an aviation services agreement with Finland and Comoros Island.

The Cabinet approved a draft federal law regarding plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, which aims to preserve the stock of agricultural genetic resources, developing them, and the fair and equal sharing of resulting benefits.

The new law will also aim to store and document plant genetic resources of food and agriculture in the UAE to ensure that they are used in a sustainable manner in order to develop the agricultural sector and achieve food security.

The law will forbid exporting plant genetic resources outside the UAE without a valid contract. Individuals extracting these genetic resources are also obliged to acquire the necessary permits and providing all necessary forms and data to the Ministry of Environment and Water. The law stipulates that the Ministry has the right to equally share the benefits resulting from these gathered resources.