ABU DHABI // Aspiring poet Ibrahim Abo Elkheir says the idea of having his work published was just a dream.
But with the help of a creative writing programme launched by the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Interior, the 17-year-old is now among 25 pupils from public high schools who can call themselves authors, with the books to prove it.
“At the beginning of this year, this was just a dream,” said Ibrahim, clasping his book of poems.
“I never thought that I’d be able to write a single poem. With the help of this and my teachers I was able to write about 80 stanzas. I always wanted to be a writer and this was a dream come true.”
The students and 25 public school teachers, were honoured yesterday by Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Hussain Al Hammadi, Minister of Education, and other dignitaries.
Each young author autographed the first edition of their books at a signing ceremony at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair.
The books were published after a four-month writing course in which the students and teachers took part on Saturdays since January.
More than 350 students applied for the programme, but only the most promising and talented were selected.
The course was offered as part of the Aqdar (“I can do it smartly”) initiative offered by the Ministry of Interior’s Khalifa Student Empowerment Programme.
Mr Al Hammadi said the scheme was one of several across the UAE that were organised alongside efforts to promote literacy and foster local writing talent in the Year of Reading.
“With this partnership we focused on improvement of their writing skills and supporting the imagination of the children,” he said.
“The intensive training programme gave them the skills required to think, analyse, build characters and then to put a story together.”
The ministry hopes to expand the creative writing scheme to include 100 students and teachers next year.
Aisha Al Zaabi, a 16-year-old student from Kalba, wrote short stories inspired by the lives of her teenage friends. Her book is titled The Secret of a Town.
She said she did not mind giving up her Saturdays to learn to be a better writer.
“We got lots of lectures, so they taught us the basics of being a writer or how to write a book,” said the Year 11 pupil at Jamila Buhaird.
“Then they gave us time to write, they corrected our mistakes and the most important thing was they helped us to publish this.
“I love writing and it was one of my dreams to publish a book. It was an opportunity that will open doors for me in the future.”
Roaa Essam, a 14-year-old student at Apple International School in Dubai, published a book called Stories to be Continued.
“It was so useful,” Roaa said of the writing class.
“It provided a lot of useful information, more than I expected to get. I learned how to write stories, how to imagine them and the proper way of putting a story together, like the climax and the resolution.”
Ibrahim, a Year 11 pupil at Mohammed bin Rashid School in Dubai, said his book of poems was an ode to the UAE and he hoped it could be released next month.
“It’s a collection of poems about many topics in my life – love, hate, patriotism, many things,” he said.
“I wanted to talk about my feelings and let people know and the poems are the best way to tell people.”
rpennington@thenational.ae
The Saga Continues
Wu-Tang Clan
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Director:Anthony Hayes
Stars:Zaf Efron, Anthony Hayes
Rating:3/5
Notable salonnières of the Middle East through history
Al Khasan (Okaz, Saudi Arabia)
Tamadir bint Amr Al Harith, known simply as Al Khasan, was a poet from Najd famed for elegies, earning great renown for the eulogy of her brothers Mu’awiyah and Sakhr, both killed in tribal wars. Although not a salonnière, this prestigious 7th century poet fostered a culture of literary criticism and could be found standing in the souq of Okaz and reciting her poetry, publicly pronouncing her views and inviting others to join in the debate on scholarship. She later converted to Islam.
Maryana Marrash (Aleppo)
A poet and writer, Marrash helped revive the tradition of the salon and was an active part of the Nadha movement, or Arab Renaissance. Born to an established family in Aleppo in Ottoman Syria in 1848, Marrash was educated at missionary schools in Aleppo and Beirut at a time when many women did not receive an education. After touring Europe, she began to host salons where writers played chess and cards, competed in the art of poetry, and discussed literature and politics. An accomplished singer and canon player, music and dancing were a part of these evenings.
Princess Nazil Fadil (Cairo)
Princess Nazil Fadil gathered religious, literary and political elite together at her Cairo palace, although she stopped short of inviting women. The princess, a niece of Khedive Ismail, believed that Egypt’s situation could only be solved through education and she donated her own property to help fund the first modern Egyptian University in Cairo.
Mayy Ziyadah (Cairo)
Ziyadah was the first to entertain both men and women at her Cairo salon, founded in 1913. The writer, poet, public speaker and critic, her writing explored language, religious identity, language, nationalism and hierarchy. Born in Nazareth, Palestine, to a Lebanese father and Palestinian mother, her salon was open to different social classes and earned comparisons with souq of where Al Khansa herself once recited.
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
