The right of children to education

Federal Law No. 3 of 2016 Concerning Child Rights, also known as Wadeema's Law (PDF, 250 KB), every child has the right to education, and it is illegal to not put your child in a school or leave him without education during the compulsory education stage, without due reason.

The UAE government will work on achieving equal academic opportunities for every child and will take necessary measures to:

• prevent children from missing school
• promote the participation of children and their parents in the decisions related to children
• ban all forms of violence in educational institutions
• develop the educational system, including kindergartens, and achieve the development of every child in the mental, physical, emotional, social and moral aspects
• set special programmes for reporting violations on the educational rights of the children.

Read more about child rights to education and protection in Chapters 7 and 8 of  Wadeema's law.

Literacy Challenge in the Arab World - 2030

The Literacy Challenge in the Arab World initiative seeks to benefit 30 million Arab youths and children by the year 2030.

The initiative was launched by H. H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai in 2017 ahead of the opening session of the Knowledge Summit 2017 in Dubai.

The initiative is organised in collaboration with the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF), the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Compulsory education

In the UAE, education is the right of every citizen. It is paid for by the government in public schools and institutions. The UAE Government issued Federal Law No. 11 of 1972 concerning Compulsory Education obligating the parent or the legal guardian to send their children to school.

New law in July 2012

Aiming to bring the compulsory school-leaving age more in line with that of the advanced countries, the UAE Cabinet approved a law in July 2012. This law makes it compulsory for children to start schooling at the age of six and remain in school until they complete Grade 12 or reach the age of 18, whichever occurs first. The law also obligates guardians of children to follow up on their children's commitment and continuity in education in line with the academic calendar set by Ministry of Education.

Continuation of the obligatory education stage

According to Article 14 of Ministerial Decree No. 820 of 2014 on Registration Terms for Students, the student's parent must write a personal commitment to the school stating that he is aware of the rules of the Obligatory Education Law and any other resolutions issued in this regard and that he undertakes to send his children to school during this 'Obligatory Education Stage'.

Education initiatives

National Innovation Strategy

In 2014, H. H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the National Innovation Strategy that aims to make the UAE among the most innovative nations in the world within seven years. The strategy targets seven sectors; one of which is education.

• Read more about UAE National Innovation Strategy (PDF 2.59 MB).

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Fund to Finance Innovation

In November 2015, Sheikh Mohammed launched this fund with a value of AED2 billion, which is a federal initiative designed to provide financing solutions for innovators across various sectors within the UAE. Priority will go to renewable energy, transport, education, health, technology, water and space sectors, and applicants must provide a business development plan to be eligible for funding.

• Mohammed bin Rashid Innovation Fund - Ministry of Finance 

National Literacy Strategy

Following the announcement of 2016 as the Year of Reading, the Cabinet issued directives to prepare an integrated National Literacy Strategy and a framework to produce a reading generation. The national literacy strategy aims to  ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy.

Education initiatives

Ministry of Education launched initiatives aiming to upgrade the education standards in the UAE according to the best international practices. These initiatives include:

• School Leadership Development Project (SLP)
• School Olympic Games Project
• School Health Education Project
• School health screening
• Teacher and Educational Leadership Standards 
• Emirates Standardized Test (EmSAT).

National online brainstorming session and Cabinet retreat in 2013

In December 2013, H. H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai called upon the nation to send ideas and suggestions through various online channels to improve the health and education sectors.

After the online brainstorming session, the UAE Cabinet undertook a retreat for two consecutive days in informal settings to analyse the ideas and suggestions and discuss further related issues. The retreat, held on Sir Bani Yas island, resulted in endorsing some initiatives and ideas on overhauling the education system and development of teachers.

Useful links:

• The UAE National Brainstorming Session - UAE Cabinet

Use of technology in teaching and learning

Read about the UAE's efforts to incorporate technology in education.