MoE launches rules for special needs students

All teachers and therapists working with students with special needs must have relevant qualifications and will need a teaching permit by the MoE for inclusion in schools across the UAE.

By Afshan Ahmed

Published: Fri 21 May 2010, 9:41 AM

Last updated: Tue 30 May 2023, 2:31 PM

Schools will also be permitted to charge parents for the special education services they provide but after obtaining consent of the ministry. The general guide book on the provision of special education programmes and services in public and private schools was launched by the Ministry of Education on Thursday.

The document that has been in the making for the last three years in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Affairs reinforces the Federal Law 29 of 2006 that specifies: no school can refuse admission to a child deemed as having learning difficulties or special needs. Schools are expected to provide for these children from Kindergarten to Grade 9.

Noura Ibrahim Al Marri, Director of Special Education at the ministry said implementation of the rules and finer details on integration in private schools will happen next year. “We now have a framework on how special education needs should be incorporated ,” Marri, said. The ministry has already incorporated the inclusion policy in 10 public schools and is targeting 110 government schools in the next three years.

“If a child applies to a certain school, he has the right to go there. There should be at least one special education teacher in every school.” There are about 400 students with special needs integrated into mainstream schools in the UAE.

The Ministry will work with both public and private schools to increase the number of special education teachers. “We will train the teachers and do a regular follow-up because it is required for the inclusive policy to succeed,” the director said.

Teachers and therapists must possess a university degree recognised by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in the respective areas to become coordinators, psychologists, speech and language therapists, physical and occupational therapists, specialists of hearing impairment, specialists of intellectual impairment and specialists of the gifted and talented.

Assistant and shadow teachers should produce a specialised diploma or secondary school certificate with training courses in the area to work with students with special education needs. The professionals will require a teaching permit from the ministry.

The document on inclusion states that schools fees for students with special education needs must not exceed the total cost of the approved regular fee structure with an additional 50 per cent of the regular fees.

Marri said resources require huge investment and schools will be permitted to charge extra if required. “We want private schools to bring the teachers and specialists and if they need to charge... in specific cases we will decide,” she said.

Every child and special education programme that a school adopts needs the approval of the ministry. The rules state that enrollment of any child with special needs will be sanctioned after a comprehensive analysis by the Multidisciplinary Evaluation Team to determine eligibility and student specific programme.

Students must be included in the age-appropriate class with their peers and it is not permitted to retain or fail a student with special needs in a grade. The ministry will convert 18 more public schools at a budget of Dh10 million for a full inclusion. “We aim for at least one school option for every child with special needs in their neighbourhood,” Marri said.