Four public schools in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain have been reopened by Abu Dhabi Education Council after renovation.
The Maryam bint Omran School in Abu Dhabi and Al Zaydia, Al Himmah and Al Tafawwoq schools in Al Ain were refurbished to meet safety requirements. All are now accessible to students with special needs.
Classroom space has increased, and common areas have been introduced and equipped with state-of-the-art teaching and learning tools. New high-quality air-conditioning systems and energy-efficient lighting have also been installed.
“Schools are also supplied with necessary facilities and equipment in line with Adec’s plans for developing school environments in Abu Dhabi,” said Mohammed Salem Al Dhaheri, Adec’s executive director of school operations.
“Adec seeks to provide students with an attractive learning environment that allows them to improve their critical thinking and innovation skills.
“Schools are supplied with world-class facilities and the latest technologies in order to keep pace with our rapidly changing world.”
Significant modifications have also been made to each school’s clinic to meet the Health Authority Abu Dhabi’s requirements, and cafeterias have been refurbished to meet Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority requirements.
Office spaces, libraries, toilets and labs have been upgraded to meet international standards.
Students will return to their refurbished schools this term from temporary schools where they have been placed since the start of the school year.
newsdesk@thenational.ae
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Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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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.
