British Orchard Nursery staff disinfect toys regularly. Reem Mohammed / The National
British Orchard Nursery staff disinfect toys regularly. Reem Mohammed / The National
British Orchard Nursery staff disinfect toys regularly. Reem Mohammed / The National
British Orchard Nursery staff disinfect toys regularly. Reem Mohammed / The National

KHDA to regulate Dubai's private nurseries and early learning centres


Anam Rizvi
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  • Arabic

All private early learning centres and nurseries in Dubai will now be regulated by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority.

The authority, which regulates all of the emirate's private schools, will work to improve nurseries and provide support to centres and parents.

Previously, nurseries were regulated by different government bodies, including the Ministry of Education.

There are more than 200 early learning centres and nurseries across Dubai, of which KHDA previously regulated 42.

Dr Abdulla Al Karam, director general of KHDA, said: “Early childhood education and care represent a significant part of our education landscape.

“When we all work together, we will be able to empower early learning centres to share the best of what they do, and also connect them more closely with schools and universities in Dubai.

"Through these new relationships, parents can be assured that their children will be getting a high-quality learning experience from the very beginning.”

The decision means that Dubai’s early learning centres will now all be held to the same standards.

Children will be provided a similar level of education, which will prepare them for school.

Regulators monitor and enforce compliance with rules, and issue approvals and permits.

KHDA has also developed a new smart permit issuance system to enable early learning centres in Dubai to register for its smart services.

Mohammed Darwish, chief executive of regulations and permits commission at KHDA, said: “We’re working closely with operators and parents to introduce a series of smart services that will give better access to early childhood education and care in Dubai, which is in line with our plan to provide a more consistent regulatory experience for education providers and families in Dubai.”

KHDA will also review each centre’s advertising and promotional material and create a database of nurseries and care centres in the emirate.

Nurseries prepare to welcome back children with Covid-19 safety measures

  • Monica Valrani, chief executive at Ladybird Nurseries. All pictures by Pawan Singh / The National
    Monica Valrani, chief executive at Ladybird Nurseries. All pictures by Pawan Singh / The National
  • Social distancing stickers are displayed on the floor at the Ladybird nursery at the Jumeirah Village Circle in Dubai
    Social distancing stickers are displayed on the floor at the Ladybird nursery at the Jumeirah Village Circle in Dubai
  • Covid-19 safety messages adorn the walls of the Ladybird Nursery in Jumeirah Village Circle
    Covid-19 safety messages adorn the walls of the Ladybird Nursery in Jumeirah Village Circle
  • An Inside look of the Ladybird nursery at the Jumeirah Village Circle in Dubai
    An Inside look of the Ladybird nursery at the Jumeirah Village Circle in Dubai
  • Monica Valrani, chief executive of Ladybird Nurseries, at the group's branch in Jumeirah Village Circle
    Monica Valrani, chief executive of Ladybird Nurseries, at the group's branch in Jumeirah Village Circle
  • Safety is paramount at the Ladybird Nurseries group
    Safety is paramount at the Ladybird Nurseries group
  • The outdoor play area at the Jumeirah Village Circle branch
    The outdoor play area at the Jumeirah Village Circle branch
  • A child's name is placed on a chair as part of Covid-19 safety measures
    A child's name is placed on a chair as part of Covid-19 safety measures
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”