The UAE announced a shake-up at the Ministry of Education on Sunday, with new ministers chosen to improve education at all levels.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, said the goal of the changes is to ensure graduates are well prepared for the workplaces of the future.
Three very accomplished people have been given the task of setting out structural changes across the system, with an increased focus on improving state schools and early childhood development.
Here are brief profiles of the ministers who will lead the Ministry of Education:
Ahmed Al Falasi, the new Minister of Education
Ahmed Al Falasi will be the new Minister of Education, with responsibility for public and private schools and universities nationwide.
He is currently the Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and SMEs. He was appointed to the role in July 2020.
At a Mena entrepreneurship forum in February, he said the UAE strives to become an entrepreneurship centre and has the right tools in place.
“One of our strengths is easy access to talent. We are not large like other countries, but we have a very strong infrastructure where entrepreneurs can incubate, scale and experience high growth,” he said.
“We are moving on from a traditional relationship between an employee and employer to a more flexible and fluid pool of talent … [and] that will be the engine of growth for entrepreneurship."
Before this, Mr Al Falasi was the Minister of State for Higher Education. During his tenure he supervised the development of higher education and scientific research in the UAE.
He developed new policies for the sector and streamlined the work of higher education institutions. In October 2017, he was asked to ensure that Emiratis are equipped with skills for the future.
Mr Al Falasi is also the former chairman of the Federal Authority for Human Resources and Chairman of the board of directors of the UAE Space Agency.
He has held several positions in the past, such as chief executive of Masdar; executive director of Strategy and Tourism Sector Development at Dubai Tourism; vice president of the Mubadala Industry Unit, and consultant at McKinsey & Co.
Mr Al Falasi holds a PhD from Monash University, a master’s degree from the University of Melbourne in Australia, and a bachelor’s degree in communication engineering from Khalifa University in the UAE.
Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Future Technology
Sarah Al Amiri, an engineer who has led the UAE Space Agency during historic missions, including sending a probe to Mars and an astronaut to the International Space Station, will oversee public education and how young people are taught about technology. Ms Al Amiri is currently Minister of State for Advanced Sciences.
Sheikh Mohammed confirmed the appointment of Ms Al Amiri as Minister of State for Public Education and Future Technology and Chairwoman of the board of directors of the Emirates Schools Establishment.
She has been directed to develop an integrated and comprehensive plan to upgrade public schools.
At present, she is also the Minister of State for Advanced Technology and was appointed Chairwoman of the UAE Space Agency in 2020.
Ms Al Amiri began her career a decade ago building satellites.
In 2009, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from the American University of Sharjah.
Since then, she has held several titles, including chairwoman of the UAE Council of Scientists and manager of the space science section at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre.
She has played a leading role in the Emirates Mars Mission as the deputy manager and science leader.
Ms Al Amiri’s interest and contribution to the country’s space programme helped her to achieve more senior roles.
In a Cabinet reshuffle in 2017, she was appointed as the Minister of State for Advanced Sciences.
In a 2020 reshuffle, she became Chairwoman of the UAE Space Agency and was named Minister of State for Advanced Technology.
In March, she was included in the Time100 Impact Awards list and Sheikh Mohammed praised her for her achievement.
Ms Al Amiri was also selected as one of 50 young scientists who were honoured by the World Economic Forum in 2015. Her efforts in helping to develop the fields of science, technology and engineering were highlighted.
More recently, she was included in the BBC's 100 Women 2020.
Sara Musallam, the Minister of State for Early Education
Sara Musallam will become Minister of State for Early Education and will supervise the newly established Federal Authority for Early Education.
Ms Musallam is currently Chairwoman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge. She also holds several positions in leading entities in the UAE.
She has been promoting digital skills and coding skills in the classroom.
At the opening of 42 Abu Dhabi in September 2020, a coding school that has no formal classes and is free to attend, she said such initiatives were critical to the development of Abu Dhabi's and the region’s technology talent.
“Coding is no longer reserved for ICT specialists. It is a universal language we must all speak to navigate the convergence of technology across industries operating in the global digital economy," she said.
Under her leadership, in 2019, the management of a dozen government schools in Abu Dhabi was taken over by private sector operators.
These were called charter schools, which are free for their exclusively Emirati pupils who live in the neighbourhood where the school is located.
The first phase of the programme provided about 15,000 seats for new pupils in 2020, across 12 public schools, nine of which are based in Abu Dhabi city and three in Al Ain.
Ms Musallam holds a master’s in business administration from the American University of Sharjah and a bachelor’s degree in applied sciences in business administration, and a higher diploma in financial and banking services from the Higher Colleges of Technology in Abu Dhabi. She is also a chartered financial analyst.
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
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
Winners
Ballon d’Or (Men’s)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France)
Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)
Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)
Best Young Women’s Player
Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)
Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City / Italy)
Best Women’s Goalkeeper
Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa and Chelsea)
Men’s Coach of the Year
Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)
Women’s Coach of the Year
Sarina Wiegman (England)
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
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Rating: 4.5/5
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Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
Where to buy
Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Empire of Enchantment: The Story of Indian Magic
John Zubrzycki, Hurst Publishers
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
