New Education Law: The UAE issued a new federal law on higher education and scientific research on Tuesday, December 30 to regulate sector, strengthen governance and effective management of the education institutions and technical and vocational education and training institutions.
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The legislation aims to align educational outcomes with labour-market requirements and support lifelong learning, while enhancing quality and competitiveness, as announced by the UAE government.
This comes after the Emirates issued a federal decree law on Monday for National Educational Curriculum across all public and private schools, establishing, for the first time, a comprehensive legal framework for its design, approval, implementation, and review.
The new law will establish an integrated legislative framework for governing higher education, applying to all higher education and technical and vocational education and training institutions across the country.
It will also establish national regulatory frameworks for higher education and scientific research, including licensing, the National Qualifications Framework, classification, quality oversight, scientific research, and technical and vocational education and training.
The law will regulate licensing, classification, programme accreditation, and ensure sound governance and effective management of higher education and technical and vocational education and training institutions.
The new law tightens licensing by prohibiting the establishment or operation of any higher education institution, or the provision, promotion, or advertising of higher education programmes and services, without institutional licensure from the ministry.
All academic programmes offered by higher education institutions in the country must adhere to accreditation standards and mechanisms set by the ministry to ensure academic quality.
The decree requires higher education and technical or vocational institutions that offer e-learning or blended learning to follow approved national quality standards. Their programmes must also be independently accredited to ensure effective educational outcomes. In addition, these institutions need to use innovative and flexible teaching methods suited to online education, protect data and intellectual property rights, and encourage active participation and interaction between students and faculty.
The new law also regulates higher education institutions in free zones by requiring a local permit, institutional licensure, and programme accreditation from the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and by defining coordination and oversight mechanisms between the ministry and local authorities.
The federal law will provide for periodic classification and evaluation of higher education institutions and publish classification results, enhancing transparency and strengthening competitiveness.
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