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Al Maktoum shuffles UAE cabinet: Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum appointed Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed as defense minister and deputy prime minister, as part of a cabinet shuffle, the PM said in a statement.
OTHER CHANGES-
- Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan (X) will retain his position as foreign affairs minister and was appointed as deputy prime minister;
- Former State Minister for Public Education Sarah Al Amiri (LinkedIn) will serve as the new education minister;
- Current Education Minister Ahmad Belhoul (LinkedIn) was named sports minister;
- Alia Abdulla AlMazrouei (LinkedIn) — CEO of the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development — was named state minister for entrepreneurship;
- Current Human Resources and Emiratisation Minister Abdulrahman Al Awar will also helm the newly established Higher Education and Scientific Research Ministry;
- Mariam bint Mohamed bin Zayed was appointed as chair of the Quality of Education Center.
An education sector overhaul: The cabinet shuffle also came with a restructuring of the education sector’s governance in the UAE, with the establishment of a new higher education and scientific research ministry and the delegation of tasks to new councils, Wam reports.
#1- The new Higher Education and Scientific Research Ministry is tasked with overseeing both public and private higher education institutions in a bid to “enhance competitiveness of higher education institutions in the country and support academic research efforts.”
#2- The Education Ministry has consolidated the Emirates School Education Foundation and the Federal Agency for Early Education within the Education Ministry, extending the ministry’s jurisdiction over early childhood and general education in both public and private schools.
#3- The Education, Human Resources, and Community Development Council will now oversee key federal bodies, including the Quality of Education Centre, a general secretariat, the Education Ministry, and the newly established Higher Education and Scientific Research Ministry, and federal universities, alongside the human resources and emiratisation, and the community development ministries.
The council’s responsibilities will include: Developing educational, development, and community initiatives; endorsing performance indicators and targets; and approving policies, frameworks, legislation, and regulations. The council’s general secretariat will also be in charge of developing digital infrastructure for educational data and integrating it with employment and labor market data.
