ABU DHABI // Private schools have had to make last-minute cancellations of field trips because of new rules banning pupils under the age of 12 from travelling outside of the city limits.
Abu Dhabi Education Council has also told private schools that they can no longer submit applications for excursions or field trips as of February 24 “until further notice.”
“They’ve put a moratorium on us being able to get approval on any extracurricular activities,” said a senior administrator with a private schools operator who asked not to be identified.
“Anything new that’s coming in that we want our students to take part in, then we need Adec approval, we can’t put in, which means we can’t get approval for any extracurricular activities for our third term right now.”
Since January 2015, Adec has required any private school wanting to take pupils on excursions or field trips within the emirate to submit a lengthy list of documents to Adec for approval at least two weeks prior to the planned event, according to the four-page schools activities and trips policy.
The policy outlines rules for trips “in the city” and another set of rules for “excursions, trips, activities” that are “abroad.” It doesn’t define “abroad.” For these trips, schools must apply for permission to Adec two months in advance.
“All of a sudden there was a start to require even more things,” said another senior administrator at a private school.
She said Adec would ask schools to submit copies of pupils’ IDs and passports, risk analysis forms for the trip and letters of no objection from parents.
Then Adec “started requiring even more materials and that has slowed down the process significantly” meaning schools were “overwhelmed with the number of requests for approvals that they’re getting”.
Jessica Sinnott, the mother of a nine-year-old whose trip to ChoirFest in Dubai was abruptly cancelled because of the age restriction, said Adec’s policy “seems like quite a drastic measure.”
“I think they should trust schools to make their own judgments about the maturity of the children,” said Mrs Sinnot.
“Obviously there are school trips in terms of educational value trips that they’re going to miss out on too. Whether it’s to see the flora and fauna of the desert in other emirates.”
She said there was an adventure sports centre in Dibba where primary school children would regularly attend. “That kind of thing is now closed off to them as well,” she added.
According to Adec’s policy, the “abroad” trips is also restricted to students ages 12 to 18 years. However, no such policy exists for public school students, said Adec’s section manager for P-12 policy.
“Policy 7430 on Field Trips does not have an age restriction,” the manager said in a statement to The National. “All students enrolled in Adec public schools (Kindergarten to Cycle 3) are permitted to participate in field trips if their parent/guardian provide a written consent.”
The field trip policy for public schools, which has been in effect since March 2014, also “has no geographical restrictions” for public school students.
“The list of approved Field Trip Sites includes locations outside of Abu Dhabi emirate. Adec public schools may plan field trips to approved sites included in List of Approved Field Trip Sites,” according to the Adec manager. “Any proposed field trips to locations that are not on the list of approved sites require approval from the Executive Director of School Operations.”
The Knowledge and Human Development Authority, which regulates schools in Dubai, has a one-page long field trips guidelines it issued to schools in 2011.
For international trips, schools need to supply the KHDA the name and number of a contact person on the trip, the list of all students and supervisor on the trip, the duration of the trip and the school’s local contact at least three days before the trip. The guideline doesn’t list age restrictions for any travel.
“As long as schools adhere to the requirements in the guidelines, specific permission for every trip is not required,” said Amal Belhasa, the KHDA’s acting chief of regulations and permits commission.
Adec did not reply to questions about the moratorium on field trips applications from private schools or about the age restriction on private school students.
rpennington@thenational.ae
Which products are to be taxed?
To be taxed:
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
Products excluded from the ‘sweetened drink’ category would contain at least 75 per cent milk in a ready-to-drink form or as a milk substitute, baby formula, follow-up formula or baby food, beverages consumed for medicinal use and special dietary needs determined as per GCC Standardisation Organisation rules
Key changes
Commission caps
For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:
• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• On the protection component, there is a cap of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated.
• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.
• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.
Disclosure
Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.
“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”
Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.
Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.
“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.
Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.
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.”
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
The Vines - In Miracle Land
Two stars
MATCH INFO
Qalandars 112-4 (10 ovs)
Banton 53 no
Northern Warriors 46 all out (9 ovs)
Kumara 3-10, Garton 3-10, Jordan 2-2, Prasanna 2-7
Qalandars win by six wickets
