Four handbooks cover requirements for early childhood centres, schools, higher education institutions and training institutes

Dubai, UAE: Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) has launched four compliance handbooks for private educational institutions across the emirate, setting out regulatory and operational requirements for providers across the education sector.

The handbooks have been introduced under KHDA’s Flexible Regulation Framework as part of the Education 33 (E33) strategy, which aims to strengthen the quality, accessibility and overall development of Dubai’s education ecosystem.

The four handbooks cover early childhood centres, private schools, higher education institutions and training institutes, spanning the learner journey from early years through school and higher education to professional skills development and lifelong learning.

According to KHDA, the handbooks are intended to give education providers a unified reference for understanding applicable legislation, policies and operational requirements, while helping institutions integrate compliance into their day-to-day operations.

What the handbooks cover

The requirements address areas including:

• Permits and approvals
• Staffing
• Educational and training programmes
• Learner and parent rights
• Inclusive education
• Health and safety
• Quality of life
• Facility readiness
• Emergency preparedness
• Continuity of learning
• National identity and Emirati values
• Other operational requirements

The handbooks also provide guidance on KHDA field visits, clarify the responsibilities of education providers and KHDA compliance officers, and include self-assessment checklists that institutions can use to evaluate their readiness.

KHDA said the approach is intended to allow institutions to identify gaps proactively and strengthen their internal policies, procedures and accountability systems.

More emphasis on self-assessment

The launch is part of KHDA’s efforts to strengthen accountability and compliance across Dubai’s private education sector while supporting institutional quality and efficiency.

During the past year, KHDA’s compliance teams conducted 1,026 field visits to private educational institutions across Dubai, an average of 86 visits per month.

Fatma Belrehif, CEO of Education Quality Assurance and Compliance Agency at KHDA, said the handbooks were designed to support a consistent approach to quality and accountability across the learner journey.

“The four compliance handbooks support the goals of E33, which places learners at the heart of the education ecosystem, by clearly defining the obligations educational institutions are expected to fulfil,” she said.

Belrehif added that the handbooks allow institutions to continuously assess their readiness, identify gaps and address them proactively.

The authority said the handbooks also place the rights of learners and parents at the centre of compliance, with the aim of creating clearer relationships between families and educational institutions.

The new framework comes as Dubai’s private education sector continues to expand, with an increasing range of schools, programmes, institutions and education services available to families and learners.

Private education providers in Dubai can access the compliance handbooks through the KHDA website.