A new Private Teacher Work Permit will grant educators in the UAE.
The capacity to offer individual tuition outside of school hours. Announced on Monday by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization and the Ministry of Education, the decision is aimed to help pupils at private schools improve their learning and regulate the provision of private tutoring outside the classroom.
The new permit allows “different groups of specialized and qualified professionals from the community to offer private lessons for students, individually or in groups”, according to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratizations’ website.
Eligible people include registered teachers in government or private schools, employees in the government and private sectors, unemployed individuals, school students aged 15 to 18 and university students.
The move is also intended to combat any illegal private tuition.
“The introduction of a permit for individuals qualified to provide private lessons will help curb illegal and unregulated practices when recruiting private teachers, which risk affecting the learning process as a whole,” said Muhammad Al Mualla, undersecretary for Academic Affairs in the Ministry of Education.
Mr Al Mualla said the change in practice would protect the rights of private teachers, and “ensure that students receive supplemental education that meets their learning style and needs”.
Teachers wishing to apply for the permit can submit a request for the Private Teacher Work Permit through the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s smart application, website or e-services system.
The permit is free for two years and allows qualified educators to offer private lessons and generate extra income, as long as they sign a “code of conduct” document approved by the Ministry.
Anyone offering private lessons without a permit will be subject to fines and penalties outlined in the Federal Decree-Law Regarding the Regulation of Employment Relationships, its executive regulations, the decisions regulating them and all applicable laws in the UAE.
In 2019 teachers in government schools were allowed to offer private tutoring for the first time in a drive to improve standards. Fawzia Gharab, assistant undersecretary for school operations at the Ministry of Education, said at the time that the authority would license teachers to offer one-on-one lessons.
Public school teachers were able to register to take part and would be financially rewarded for doing so by the ministry. They were also told they would not be able to provide tutoring for pupils at their own schools.
The scheme applied only to public schools and was not being offered in private schools at the time.
