Private schools and parents in Dubai have welcomed new measures introduced in the emirate to reduce turnover of teaching staff and reform how they are hired, supported and sacked.
The move, announced by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, sets out standardised hiring criteria based on KHDA-approved requirements for qualifications, experience and conduct. Teachers currently working in Dubai must meet those standards by 2028.
A 90-day restriction on staff moving between schools has also been introduced. Under the measures, employees leaving to take up roles at other schools must serve the full notice period stated in their contracts, work until the last day of an academic term and complete a KHDA survey.
Failure to abide by any of these rules will result in a 90-day hold on the staff member start their new job. This three-month period begins on the date the resignation is tendered or leaves without serving required notice.
Deepika Thapar Singh, principal of Credence High School, told The National that the 90-day rule is particularly welcome. She said mid-year resignations are "disruptive to students and learning", with the rule set to "encourage stability and allow schools to plan more effectively".
Stacey Cartwright, head of HR for executive operations for school group Taaleem, also backed the 90-day wait period for employees ignoring employment rules.
"Mid-year resignations can be highly disruptive to student learning and to the wider school community," Ms Cartwright said.
"The 90-day clause provides a more stable framework, giving schools time to plan and to ensure that transitions are managed with minimal impact on children.
"We believe it will reduce the incidence of mid-year moves and provide greater continuity in the classroom."
Parents have also welcomed the move. Sumit Augustine, who has one child, explained that the rule reduces the risk of children feeling unsettled because of a change of staff.
Additionally, all teaching staff are required to complete induction modules on safeguarding, inclusion, UAE values and professional ethics before starting in a new role.
Sackable offences
For the first time, the KHDA has published a list of offences that can lead to deregistration – effectively barring someone from working at a KHDA-regulated school, early childhood centre, university, or vocational institute.
Such offences include criminal convictions, breaches of child protection rules and gross professional misconduct. They also include unprofessional behaviour such as dishonesty, inappropriate social media use and culturally insensitive actions.
Welcome move
A representative of Gems Education, one of Dubai’s largest private school operators, said it is working closely with the KHDA to ensure it complies fully with the regulations. “Gems Education always welcomes KHDA guidance and directives designed to strengthen the education sector in Dubai, and we are working closely with the regulator and our schools and internal departments to review these new rules and ensure compliance," the representative said.
"We will be able to share further details on how we will be integrating the new directives across our operations once we have had time to fully assess the implications.”
Ms Singh described the new measures as “a progressive step forward” that will benefit pupils and teachers. She also welcomed the revised qualification requirements, describing them as “an opportunity to attract highly qualified educators committed to long-term growth". Credence High School is to introduce professional development programmes to help teachers meet the 2028 deadline, she added.
New measures
The Ministry of Education this month approved its attendance and absence guidelines for the 2025-2026 academic year. A notification system will inform parents immediately if their child misses school.
The maximum limit for unexcused absences is five days a term, or 15 in an academic year. Pupils may be required to repeat the year if they exceed the annual limit.
A pupil’s absence is to be counted as two days if they miss school on a Friday, or on the days before or after public holidays, the ministry added.
Teacher recruitment
The academic year started on August 25, with the Gems school group welcoming more than 1,700 new teachers across the UAE and Qatar. That was lower than last year, when 1,850 teachers were recruited, but group chief education officer Lisa Crausby said it was a “good sign” because the retention rate was improving.
Taaleem, which operates more than 30 schools in the UAE, told The National that it recorded a "significant increase in teacher recruitment this academic year, reflecting both the population boom across the country and the continued growth of our schools".
"In August alone, we successfully onboarded more than 500 new teachers, alongside senior leaders, learning assistants and administrative staff," it added.
Taaleem said there was “strong interest” from teachers interested in moving to the UAE. It said a new hiring model meant the group starts planning recruitment a year in advance and recommended that teachers demonstrate “adaptability, cultural awareness and commitment to professional development”.
Despacito's dominance in numbers
Released: 2017
Peak chart position: No.1 in more than 47 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Lebanon
Views: 5.3 billion on YouTube
Sales: With 10 million downloads in the US, Despacito became the first Latin single to receive Diamond sales certification
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Awards: 17, including Record of the Year at last year’s prestigious Latin Grammy Awards, as well as five Billboard Music Awards
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League A, Group 4
Spain v England, 10.45pm (UAE)
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
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How to play the stock market recovery in 2021?
If you are looking to build your long-term wealth in 2021 and beyond, the stock market is still the best place to do it as equities powered on despite the pandemic.
Investing in individual stocks is not for everyone and most private investors should stick to mutual funds and ETFs, but there are some thrilling opportunities for those who understand the risks.
Peter Garnry, head of equity strategy at Saxo Bank, says the 20 best-performing US and European stocks have delivered an average return year-to-date of 148 per cent, measured in local currency terms.
Online marketplace Etsy was the best performer with a return of 330.6 per cent, followed by communications software company Sinch (315.4 per cent), online supermarket HelloFresh (232.8 per cent) and fuel cells specialist NEL (191.7 per cent).
Mr Garnry says digital companies benefited from the lockdown, while green energy firms flew as efforts to combat climate change were ramped up, helped in part by the European Union’s green deal.
Electric car company Tesla would be on the list if it had been part of the S&P 500 Index, but it only joined on December 21. “Tesla has become one of the most valuable companies in the world this year as demand for electric vehicles has grown dramatically,” Mr Garnry says.
By contrast, the 20 worst-performing European stocks fell 54 per cent on average, with European banks hit by the economic fallout from the pandemic, while cruise liners and airline stocks suffered due to travel restrictions.
As demand for energy fell, the oil and gas industry had a tough year, too.
Mr Garnry says the biggest story this year was the “absolute crunch” in so-called value stocks, companies that trade at low valuations compared to their earnings and growth potential.
He says they are “heavily tilted towards financials, miners, energy, utilities and industrials, which have all been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic”. “The last year saw these cheap stocks become cheaper and expensive stocks have become more expensive.”
This has triggered excited talk about the “great value rotation” but Mr Garnry remains sceptical. “We need to see a breakout of interest rates combined with higher inflation before we join the crowd.”
Always remember that past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Last year’s winners often turn out to be this year’s losers, and vice-versa.
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Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
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Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
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Company name: Nestrom
Started: 2017
Co-founders: Yousef Wadi, Kanaan Manasrah and Shadi Shalabi
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Investors: Propeller, 500 Startups, Wamda Capital, Agrimatico, Techstars and some angel investors
