Abu Dhabi sets 42 violations for private schools with fines up to Dh150,000

Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) has introduced a detailed framework of administrative violations and financial penalties governing private schools and partnership schools, outlining 42 types of offences related to school policies, with fines starting at Dh5,000 and rising to Dh150,000 for repeated breaches.

According to an official schedule of violations and administrative fines obtained by Al Khaleej newspaper, the measures came into effect at the start of the current academic year and apply alongside other administrative sanctions that the department may impose under existing legislation.

Under the framework, a violation is deemed repeated if it is committed again within one year of the initial offence. In such cases, the higher penalty stipulated in the approved fines schedule will be applied.

The largest category covers physical education and school sports policies, accounting for 24 types of violations. 

These include failures to establish a school-wide sports culture framework, engage teachers, coaches and parents in supporting students’ physical development, ensure staff compliance with child protection policies, maintain health and safety incident records, or submit required performance evaluation reports to ADEK.

Each of these violations carries a fine of Dh5,000 for a first offence, rising to Dh10,000 for a second offence and Dh15,000 for a third or subsequent offence.

More serious breaches attract higher penalties. These include failing to implement an approved physical education and school sports policy, not ensuring students engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily, denying equal participation opportunities to girls, students with additional learning needs, less active students or gifted students, or failing to provide access to internal and inter-school competitions.

Schools may also be fined for not ensuring that physical education teachers complete at least 75 hours of annual professional development, failing to conduct risk assessments, or not adapting activities and equipment to reduce injury risks. These violations are punishable by fines of Dh15,000 for a first offence, Dh25,000 for a second and up to Dh50,000 for repeated breaches.

The highest penalties, ranging from Dh50,000 to Dh100,000, apply to failures such as not allocating a minimum of 60 minutes per week to physical education, not implementing a comprehensive PE curriculum, failing to ensure facilities are safe, neglecting hydration and sun protection measures, or not adjusting activities for students with medical conditions.

A separate violation relating to non-compliance with gender-specific requirements for sports and swimming, as outlined in ADEK’s co-education policy, carries a fine of Dh100,000 for a first offence, increasing to Dh150,000 for repeat violations.

The framework also sets out 14 violations related to career and university guidance policies. Lower-level offences, such as failing to develop performance indicators for guidance programmes or submit annual data to ADEK, are fined Dh5,000 initially, rising to Dh15,000 for repeated breaches.

More serious violations include not establishing a compliant guidance policy, failing to offer students opportunities to develop career-related skills, inadequate communication with parents of senior students regarding post-secondary pathways, or not clearly defining the roles and responsibilities of career counsellors. These offences carry fines ranging from Dh15,000 to Dh50,000.

Higher penalties, starting at Dh50,000 and rising to Dh100,000, apply to failures such as not appointing a full-time career and university guidance counsellor, not providing professional development for counsellors, or failing to support senior students in post-secondary applications.

The most severe penalty in this category applies to schools that fail to implement a comprehensive career and university guidance programme in line with ADEK requirements, with fines starting at Dh100,000 and reaching Dh150,000 for repeat violations.

The schedule also includes four violations related to staff recruitment and employment standards. Allowing external candidates to begin work without an ADEK-issued work permit, or failing to comply with appointment notices, carries fines starting at Dh15,000 and rising to Dh50,000.

Allowing internal candidates to start work without an official appointment notification attracts higher penalties, beginning at Dh50,000 and reaching Dh100,000 for repeated offences.

The most severe staffing violation is the failure to appoint a school principal, which carries a fine of Dh100,000 for a first offence, increasing to Dh150,000 for repeated breaches.

ADEK said the framework aims to strengthen compliance, enhance student safety and wellbeing, and ensure consistent standards across the private education sector, while holding schools accountable through a clear and graduated enforcement mechanism.