UAE Education LawFederal Decree-Law No. (18) of 2016 Regarding Reading

Article (1) Definitions In implementation of the provisions of this Decree-Law, the following words and expressions shall have the meanings assigned thereto respectively, unless otherwise is required by the context: State : The United Arab Emirates Government Authorities : All the federal and local government authorities in the State. Reading Material : All the printed material including books, magazines, encyclopedias, manuals and periodicals in addition to the audio and digital material and material assigned to those with reading difficulties. Public Library : A cultural institution affiliating to a government authority and aiming at enabling the public to reach the reading material. National Publishing Houses : The establishments preparing, producing and selling publications owned by the UAE nationals. A Person with : Any person who is unable to use some or all of the reading

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Federal Decree-Law of 2016 Regarding Reading 2 Reading Difficulties material due to a physical disability like visual, hearing or mental disabilities or dyslexia. Legal Deposit : The obligation imposed by the Decree-Law on all the publishing houses to deposit one or several copies of the publication at the National Library. Knowledge Bag : A bag containing a number of reading material focusing on the knowledge and scientific aspects of the child and which are provided for free to the parents. Educational Institution : An institution licensed to work in the field of education in the State or the free zones like school, institute, faculty or university. Knowledge Communities : Different groups formed from several individuals with similar in- terests for the purpose of consolidating and sharing the knowledge they own and reaching new knowledge.

Article (2) Objectives of the Decree-Law This Decree-Law aims at achieving the following objectives: 1. Supporting the development of the human resources and contributing to the building and development of the mental and knowledge capabilities of all the members of the society; 2. Enhancing the reading attitude and culture of all the society members and providing the methods for lifelong learning; 3. Supporting the national intellectual production and building knowledge communities in the State; and 4. Ensuring the sustainability of all the Government efforts in order to make reading deeply rooted in the State through the identification of the key responsibilities of the Government authorities in this field.

Article (4) Seven Guiding Principles For the implementation of the provisions of this Decree-Law, the following guiding principles shall be considered: 1. Reading emanates from the Islamic principles and the State cultural and civilization heritage. It represents one of the State community's key values; 2. Reading is the key element for the achievement of knowledge, fostering of intellectual creativity and building of a knowledge-based society; 3. Reading represents the key factor for the development and building of the national cultural heritage and support of the literary and intellectual production of the State; 4. Reading is a key enabler of the competitive and productive capacity of the State and its economic development; 5. Reading is the main gateway for promote the values of tolerance, peace and cohabitation in the State society and within the other communities and cultures; 6. Reading is a right for all the categories of the society, particularly children at the early childhood stage given its importance in the formation of their mental abilities; and 7. Man's right to read is supported by the other relevant rights guaranteed by the State in accordance with the relevant applicable legislations including: a. The right to learn and develop the reading and writing skills; b. The right to intellectual property; and c. The cultural right through producing and enjoying a cultural content. Chapter Two Furtherance of Reading

Article (6) Enabling Reading in the Society 1. The competent Government authorities in the health and education sectors of the State shall seek to develop the language abilities of children at the early stages of their life and to raise awareness among the families on the importance of reading for the newborns and children. 2. The Ministry of Health and Prevention and other competent Government authorities in the health sector shall provide every child in the State with three knowledge bags to be distributed in the periods set by the Ministry or the competent Government authority. 3. The competent Government authorities shall establish the necessary programs for enhancing the reading skills among the society categories with special considerations including those persons with reading difficulties, inmates in the correctional facilities and hospitals, old-aged people and housewives and encouraging them to practice reading according to their needs. 4. The competent Government authorities shall establish the appropriate mechanisms for the use of the cultural centers, forums and councils in the residential districts. 5. The Ministry of Community Development and the competent Government authorities in the social development sector shall encourage the culture of knowledge volunteering by involving the different categories of the society in the promotion for reading and by participating in reading for children, old-aged people, patients and others who cannot read. 6. The Ministry of Economy and the competent Government authorities shall obligate the coffee shops in the commercial centers to provide reading material according to the number of their clients and their interests and according to the standards set by the competent authorities.

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Federal Decree-Law of 2016 Regarding Reading 5

Article (7) Reading in the Educational System The Ministry of Education and the competent Government authorities in the education sector shall: 1. Develop the educational curricula and systems in a way that contributes to fostering the reading habit and skills of the students; 2. Obligate the private educational institutions to develop their curricula in a way that helps the students developing their language abilities. 3. Obligate all the educational institutions to provide libraries which meet the educational needs and interests of all their students. 4. Set the international standards for the assessment of libraries in the educational institutions and supervise their gradual implementation in the educational institutions. 5. Obligate all the educational institutions to develop an annual plan to encourage students to read and organize activities in this regard to ingrain the habit of reading in students. 6. Obligate the educational institutions to establish programs for the development of the skills of their personnel interested in reading according to the best educational practices in this field. 7. Approve the culture and attitude of reading within the standards of assessment of the educational institutions. 8. Set the necessary systems for conducting the continuous assessment of the students' language and mental abilities. 9. Foster the culture of respect for and preservation of books among students and establish the measures required for the reuse, recycling or donation of books.

Article (9) Public Libraries 1. The competent Government authorities shall seek to provide public libraries or reading facilities at all the areas of the State to ensure that such public libraries or reading facilities are easily accessed. 2. The competent authorities at the Department of Public Libraries shall provide the following services free of charge to all the members of the society and may set appropriate nominal charges for other services: a. Using the library's facilities; b. Borrowing books; and c. Using internet and digital information. 3. The competent authorities at the Department of Public Libraries shall develop the appropriate mechanisms to ensure the possibility of using the reading facilities throughout the week and for extended hours. 4. The competent authorities at the Department of Public Libraries shall endeavor to redesign the libraries in an attractive way as service and entertainment centers through the development of their systems and update and diversification of the content to meet the interests of all the society categories of different ages and in both Arabic and English languages. 5. The competent Government authorities shall urge the private sector to invest in the establishment of libraries and cultural centers by providing such sector with appropriate incentives, facilities and lands in line with the priorities of investment and urban planning in the different regions of the State. 6. The competent Government authorities shall motivate the shopping centers to provide commercial spaces at competitive rates for the projects of public libraries at the shopping centers. 7. The competent Government authorities shall ensure that the public libraries are suitable

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Federal Decree-Law of 2016 Regarding Reading 7 for use by persons with reading difficulties and with motor disability whether in terms of content, facilities or reading methods. 8. The competent authorities at the Department of Public Libraries shall set standards for the approval of candidates for the position of librarian and shall endeavor to develop the efficiencies of their employees to meet such standards. 9. The Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development shall establish a comprehensive and consolidated database for public libraries in the State and the books at such libraries and in other libraries belonging to public entities. The libraries meeting the conditions shall be registered as determined by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development. 10. Repealed by Federal Decree-Law No. (18) of 2016 Regarding Reading. 11. The national publishing houses shall provide three copies of every book published in the State to the National Library for the purpose of legal deposit or an electronic version of every other product of reading material.

Article (10) Support of the Publishing and Distribution of Reading Material 1. The reading material shall be treated in the State as a main good exempted from any charges or duties for the purposes of writing, publishing, printing or distribution including the charges of obtaining an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) subject to the conditions and controls set by the Cabinet in this regard. 2. No book may be licensed for publishing or distribution unless it obtains an International Standard Book Number (ISBN). 3. The National Media Council, the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development and the Ministry of Economy shall establish a program for the development of the publishing industry in the State, draft the policies that enrich the reading content in the Arabic language and produce high-quality national intellectual books. 4. The National Media Council, the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development and the Ministry of Economy shall support and provide incentives and facilities to the authors, editors, publishing houses and printing houses in the State. 5. The Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development shall set the plans and grant the necessary financing to support the publishing and distribution of reading material in a

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Federal Decree-Law of 2016 Regarding Reading 8 way that meets the needs of the persons with reading difficulties. 6. In collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, the Ministry of Education shall establish the specialized professional development programs for the persons wishing to specialize as librarians, publishers, editors or other activities related to the furtherance of reading. 7. The Ministry of Education shall launch and encourage specialized academic programs in the industry of publishing and library management. 8. The Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development shall encourage the issuance or publishing of reading material in the Arabic language by providing support and incentives in the transfer of knowledge from different languages to the Arabic language. 9. The Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development shall provide the facilities, advice and support to promote the national content outside the State and participate in the international fairs. 10. The authorities in charge of organizing and managing fairs in the State shall provide a preferential treatment to the national publishing houses during their participation of rental of exhibition spaces. 11. The Ministry of Economy and the competent Government authorities shall include the condition of providing a section for the locally produced reading material in the licenses granted to the bookshops in the State. Chapter Four Reading Supporting Systems

Article (12) National Reading Fund 1. A financial fund known as "The National Reading Fund" shall be established to provide the financial support to the innovative initiatives that may make reading deeply rooted. 2. The Cabinet shall issue regulations determining the fund's capital, financing sources, reporting, management method and appointment of its board of directors and determining the ways of dispersal from its funds in order to foster: a. The projects of supporting reading and writing provided by the individuals and private and non-profit organizations. b. The researches related to reading, literary production and generalization of books and libraries. c. Support of the national innovative literature initiatives. d. Support those who have cultural and literary talents from the nationals of the State to enhance the production of the national intellectual content and assign annual honorary awards to the distinguished persons. 3. The National Reading Fund may receive financial support from all the Government and private entities and gifts and donations from individuals and organizations subject to the controls set forth in the Fund establishment resolution.