UAE Universities Must Have 'Teach-Out' Plans To Protect Students If They Close

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) UAE universities must have plans in place to ensure students are not left without an academic pathway if an institution or one of its programmes closes, under the country's new higher education licensing framework.

The requirement, known as a“teach-out plan”, is designed to protect students who are already enrolled and ensure they are not negatively affected if a university's licence is withdrawn, not renewed or an institution faces circumstances that prevent it from continuing to operate.

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“One of the main conditions is that, if we had to close a university or one of its programmes, there is something called a teach-out plan. It is guaranteed that students will not be negatively affected,” said Dr Ahmed Al Shuaibi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHESR).

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Each institution is responsible for putting the plans in place for students already enrolled, while the Ministry oversees those plans to ensure students are not harmed, he said.

Al Shuaibi said protecting students was one of the main objectives behind the latest Cabinet decisions regulating higher education, alongside clarifying the roles of the Ministry, local authorities and educational institutions throughout the lifecycle of a university.

The new system follows an institution from its establishment and initial licensing through the review of individual academic programmes and ongoing oversight, with student protection forming part of that journey, he said.

The National Framework for Licensing Higher Education Institutions requires institutions to have an academic continuity plan covering what happens if they face difficulties or are unable to continue operating.

The plan must address students' educational pathway and continuation of study, preservation of academic records and protection of financial rights. Where necessary, arrangements must also be made to allow affected students to transfer to another institution.

The framework applies to higher education institutions and their branches, including those operating in free zones, and makes licensing an ongoing process rather than a one-time approval.

Institutions are required to maintain accurate and up-to-date data, comply with information security and incident-reporting requirements, and have arrangements to maintain academic operations in the event of disruption.

For new institutions, institutional licensing confirms that the university is ready and sustainable and has the ability to deliver its mission. But this does not allow it to immediately begin offering courses.

A programme must separately receive accreditation before it can be offered, advertised or accept students under the new framework.

A newly licensed institution has one year to launch its programmes, according to the Ministry's explanation of the framework, but at least one programme intended to be advertised to students must have received accreditation.

The framework also introduces risk-based licensing, with the duration of an institution's licence varying according to its risk category, compliance and performance.

Existing institutions are being given a transition period to assess gaps against the new requirements and address issues affecting their licence and student rights.

Al Shuaibi said the wider changes were intended to strengthen confidence in the higher education system among students, universities and employers.

“When I hire a graduate with a certain certificate, as a business market, a company; I have a certain expectation that he has this certificate and certain skills and knowledge,” he said, adding that this strengthens trust in the system.

He said students should similarly have confidence that the programme they choose will deliver what it promises.

The new licensing framework is one of four Cabinet decisions introduced as part of the Ministry's wider overhaul of higher education regulation, alongside new rules covering review fees, Ministry service fees and financial guarantees, and violations and administrative measures.

The Ministry has said the new regulatory system is intended to create a clearer and more integrated framework for higher education institutions while strengthening quality, accountability and student protection.

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