Dubai Police, KHDA and philanthropist enrol five children of inmates into regular school
Children given a change to avail basic right to education while mums serve sentence
Dubai: As part of their humanitarian and community efforts, the Dubai Police, in cooperation with Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) and businesswoman Salma Khan, have enrolled five children of female inmates in private schools in the new school year.
Major General Ali Al Shamali, Director of the General Department of Punitive and Correctional Institutions at Dubai Police, said enrolling these children in regular Dubai schools comes as part of the implementation of the directives of Lieutenant-General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police, to ensure the happiness of communitiesand enable them to enjoy their full rights guaranteed by law.
Al Shamali explained that the gesture complements the department’s “Let’s Learn” initiative to provide an educational and recreational environment for the children of inmates. “This project guarantees the rights of children to enrol in schools and their rights to receive accredited certificates after completing each stage so that they can continue with their studies once they return to their homeland,” he said.
Colonel Jamila Al Zaabi, director of the Women’s Prison in Dubai, said the children have been hosted by Dubai Police in a special complex near the women’s prison and are being taken care of by professional nannies while their mothers serve their sentences. “Some of the children have reached school age, if they do not pursue their education and obtain accredited certificates, they will be left behind once their mothers’ sentences end and they return to their homeland. From this standpoint, Dubai Police, in coordination with strategic partners namely KHDA, sought to enrol them in schools after conducting the required evaluation and assessment,” Al Zaabi said.
Colonel Al Zaabi added, “We’ve made great efforts over the past two years to enrol children of female inmates into regular schools, and to enable them to pursue their education at different academic levels as we believe that all children should enjoy their rights, including the right to education.”