Academic Missions Regulation No. (3) of 1971
With the approval of the Ruler,
And based on what was presented by the Minister of Education and approved by the Council of Ministers, we have issued the following regulation:
Article One:
The Ministry of Education shall be responsible for organizing academic missions, university allowances, academic and training scholarships, selecting candidates for them, and sending them abroad for the purpose of obtaining a scientific, literary, or artistic certificate or degree, or for obtaining specialized training for a limited period. No student shall be sent abroad for a study or course for which institutes are available in the country.
To achieve this, the Ministry of Education, in cooperation with other government departments and local institutions, shall supervise the affairs of the missions and direct the scholarship students towards beneficial studies and specializations required by the country's development plan, within the limits of financial appropriations, taking into account the students' abilities and inclinations whenever possible.
Article Two:
The Minister of Education shall form a Scholarship Committee whose members shall not exceed five, composed of senior officials from the Ministry of Education and other ministries whose positions are related to the subject or who have expertise in it.
Article Three:
The Scholarship Committee shall meet whenever necessary. It shall be responsible for drawing up the annual policy for scholarships, defining their purpose in light of the country's needs, selecting candidates for scholarships, and determining their number, specializations, location, duration, type, and the conditions required of the scholarship students, in addition to the conditions stipulated in this regulation. It may extend the duration of the scholarship or change the branches, degrees, and certificates when necessary, provided that all this is within the budget appropriations. It may also cancel the scholarship if the scholarship member violates its conditions and in accordance with the provisions of this regulation.
Article Four:
The Scholarship Committee may delegate some of its powers related to the duties and rights of scholarship students to one of its members or the director of an Abu Dhabi government office abroad.
Article Five
(a) Ministries must submit their proposals for training missions required for employees of Abu Dhabi Emirate nationality in the following year to the Scholarship Committee no later than September of each year, providing it with a detailed report on each required mission, its type, duration, location, purpose, the extent of its need, the names of their candidates for these missions, and all required details about them. The Scholarship Committee, in coordination with the Civil Service Department, may issue its final decisions regarding these missions within the limits of the budget and the requirements of the public interest.
(b) An employee sent on a training course abroad is entitled, in addition to his salary paid by the government in the department to which he belongs, to only the following monthly allowances, exclusive of any other allowances or expenses, except for training fees, which shall be paid for him if any, travel costs between Abu Dhabi and the training country, and medical treatment expenses upon submission of receipts certified by the representative or office of the Abu Dhabi government or the responsible health authorities in the country of study:
1- Half of the minimum monthly allowance for a scholarship student in the training country according to the financial regulations if the dispatched employee is single.
2- The minimum monthly allowance for a scholarship student in the training country according to the financial regulations if the employee is married.
Article Six
The Ministry of Education shall announce annually through the Official Gazette the scholarships that the Scholarship Committee decides to dispatch. Nomination applications must be submitted in the name of the Ministry of Education on the forms decided by the Department, accompanied by the required documents listed on the forms and prepared in a special file. The submission of nominations must be no later than the end of July of each year. This also includes students taking supplementary exams, provided they pass the second-round examination.
Article Seven:
The following conditions are required for anyone sent to study abroad at the expense of the Abu Dhabi government:
First: Must be a citizen of Abu Dhabi.
Second: Must be a citizen of:
(a) The United Arab Emirates.
(b) The Arabian Gulf Emirates.
(c) Sister Arab countries.
(d) Friendly Islamic countries.
Third: Must have successfully passed the general secondary school examinations or their equivalent in industrial or technical studies.
Fourth: Must be of good character and conduct.
Fifth: Must be physically and mentally fit, as certified by a competent medical authority.
Sixth: Must have a personal aptitude for higher education as assessed by the members of the Scholarship Committee at the time of the interview.
Seventh: Preference in selection within the prescribed number of scholarships shall be as follows:
(a) Priority shall be given to the highest grade point averages first.
(b) Graduates of the current academic year are preferred over graduates of previous years.
(c) Students who passed are preferred over those taking supplementary exams.
(d) Graduates of Abu Dhabi's secondary schools are preferred over others.
(e) For non-Abu Dhabi citizens, preference is given to those who or whose fathers are in the service of the Abu Dhabi government.
Article Eight
(a) Anyone sent to study abroad at the expense of the Abu Dhabi government shall be obligated to serve the Abu Dhabi government for a period equivalent to the duration of the scholarship, at a salary commensurate with their academic qualifications according to the regulations applicable in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, if the public interest so requires. They must join the position to which they are appointed immediately upon notification.
(b) Anyone who refrains from fulfilling this condition shall be required to pay all scholarship expenses for the period for which the service condition is not fulfilled, unless it is due to the abolition of the position or health incapacity.
(c) The scholarship student, jointly with his guardian or sponsor, is considered to have undertaken to repay everything spent on him from the date of his dispatch if he violates the service condition, refrains from undertaking his prescribed studies, or violates any of the scholarship conditions contained in this regulation.
(d) The Ministry of Education must conclude a unified contract with the scholarship students, stipulating the student's obligations and the joint liability with his guardian or sponsor.
(e) The Ministry of Education may exempt the scholarship student from the conditions of this article if the public interest so requires.
Article Nine
The Ministry of Education in Abu Dhabi shall cover the expenses for the scholarship student's travel, tuition fees, travel within and outside the country of study for the purposes of the scholarship, supplies, textbooks, living allowances, clothing, housing, medical treatment, and all other matters related to his studies in accordance with the provisions of this regulation.
Article Ten
The Scholarship Committee may cancel the decision to dispatch a scholarship student:
(a) If he violates the scholarship conditions.
(b) If he fails in his studies without a legitimate excuse or fails for two consecutive years.
(c) If he marries a non-Muslim foreign woman; he may not marry a Muslim woman except with the approval of the Ministry of Education.
(d) If his conduct is not good or if he harms the reputation of his country and nation.
(e) If he fails to enroll in his prescribed studies or if he does not contact the Ministry of Education within one month of the issuance of his dispatch decision to benefit from the scholarship.
(f) In the event that the student embraces destructive principles that contradict the teachings of the true Islamic religion and our established traditions.
Article Eleven
A scholarship student may leave his place of study for Abu Dhabi in the following cases:
(a) Once every two years if the scholarship student's place of study is in a European or American country, provided that his travel is during the summer vacation. In this case, his travel will be at the government's expense.
(b) Once every academic year, provided that his travel is also during the summer vacation, if his place of study is in an Arab country. In this case, his travel will be at the government's expense.
(c) Otherwise, the student may not leave his place of study except with a license from the Ministry of Education in each case, which will decide the party responsible for travel expenses.
Article Twelve
The Scholarship Committee may consider some applications from distance learning students within its financial appropriations and accept to assist a number of these students, giving priority to citizens of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. As for non-citizens, it is required that they successfully pass the first year and obtain the approval of the Scholarship Committee. The financial allocations paid to the distance learning student are as follows, and the Ministry of Education is not obligated to disburse these allocations continuously. The student must renew his application annually, supported by documentary evidence of his success:
(a) Annual university fees as per university receipts.
(b) One discounted round-trip tourist class ticket per year between the country of residence and the location of the annual examination.
(c) The minimum monthly salary for a scholarship student in the country of study for one month, according to the financial regulations, during the final examination period.
(d) Annual allowances for books and stationery as stipulated in the financial regulations for a scholarship student in the country of study.
Article Thirteen:
The Scholarship Committee may provide a university study allowance to students wishing to study or who are studying at their own expense abroad at a university, technical, or industrial level, according to the specializations needed by the country. The Ministry will complete their admission procedures with universities. The allowance student is bound by the conditions mentioned in the articles of this regulation. The study allowance includes only the following:
1- The minimum monthly allowances specified in Article Sixteen of this regulation.
2- Travel fares between Abu Dhabi and the country of study at the beginning and end.
3- Travel expenses between Abu Dhabi and the country of study in accordance with Article Eleven of this regulation.
Article Fourteen:
The Scholarship Committee may provide a monthly financial grant to students who are studying at their own expense abroad at a university, technical, or industrial level, according to the specializations needed by the country. The grant recipient is not bound by the conditions stated in Article Eight of this regulation. The grant includes only the monthly allowances stipulated in the financial regulations of this system, without any other rights.
Article Fifteen
The Scholarship Committee, in coordination with the Civil Service Department and relevant departments, may nominate employees or students who are citizens of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi for study and training assistance allocated to the Abu Dhabi government by various foreign governments and institutions, provided that the government does not bear any financial expenses for them, except for travel fares once a year if necessary.
Article Sixteen: Amended by Regulation No. 2 of 1973 - (To view the original text)
The following financial regulations for scholarship students, university allowances, and grants are approved as of 1/1/1973.
| Place of Study |
Type of Allowance
in Bahraini Dinar |
Arab Countries
and Other Foreign
Countries |
The American Continent,
Australia,
and Japan |
Britain
and Western
Europe |
Lebanon |
| 60 B.D. |
90 B.D. |
70 B.D. |
60 B.D. |
Preparation for Travel |
| 70 B.D. |
150 B.D. |
90 B.D. |
75 B.D. |
Undergraduate
Studies and
below |
Monthly
Living and
Housing
Allowances |
| 80 B.D. |
160 B.D. |
100 B.D. |
90 B.D. |
Postgraduate
Studies |
| 40 B.D. |
90 B.D. |
50 B.D. |
40 B.D. |
Undergraduate
Studies and
below |
Annual
Allowances for
Books,
Stationery,
and Supplies |
| 50 B.D. |
100 B.D. |
60 B.D. |
50 B.D. |
Postgraduate
Studies |
| 60 B.D. |
150 B.D. |
80 B.D. |
60 B.D. |
Annual Clothing Allowance |
| 25 B.D. |
50 B.D. |
30 B.D. |
25 B.D. |
Monthly Allowances for
Grant Students |
| 55 B.D. |
80 B.D. |
70 B.D. |
60 B.D. |
Monthly Allowances for
Allowance Students |
Article Seventeen:
A scholarship member who is a citizen of Abu Dhabi and accompanies his wife and up to three of his children to the country of study, whether he married before or during the scholarship, shall be given, in addition to the allowances mentioned in the financial regulations that he receives and his travel fares, and provided that his wife and children are not scholarship students and that he is not an employee receiving a salary from the Abu Dhabi government:
(a) 25% of the monthly living and housing allowances if he accompanies only his wife.
(b) 10% of the monthly allowances for each child he accompanies.
(c) Round-trip travel fares for his wife and children to the country of study only twice during the entire scholarship period in Arab and other countries, except for Europe, Britain, and America, where a travel ticket for his wife and children will be given once during the entire scholarship period.
(d) The actual costs of medical treatment for his wife and children, upon submission of receipts certified by the Abu Dhabi government office or the responsible health authorities in the country of study.
Article Eighteen:
(a) Allowances for travel preparation, books, stationery, supplies, and annual clothing are paid in one lump sum before the scholarship student travels to join the mission. The student is not paid travel preparation allowances or a travel ticket to the country of study if he obtains the scholarship while already in the country of study.
(b) Disbursement for the scholarship student begins from the day of his travel to his country of study, provided that he starts his studies within two months from the date of his arrival. He is given an allowance for one month following the end of the scholarship only if he completes his prescribed studies.
(c) The full academic year is considered to extend from the first of October to the thirtieth of September of each year.
(d) A student who has completed a full academic year is entitled to the summer vacation months' allowances until the end of September of each year according to the financial regulations. As for a student whose scholarship ends or is discontinued before April of any academic year, he forfeits his right to the summer vacation allowances.
Article Nineteen
The salaries for the summer vacation months may be disbursed to the scholarship student at the beginning of August of each year in a single payment, provided that the scholarship student presents a certificate from the Abu Dhabi government office abroad or from the bank proving the date of the last monthly salary he received.
Article Twenty
The Ministry of Education may approve the disbursement of a private tutoring allowance for a scholarship student if the faculty of the university or institute where the student is studying deems that he needs additional lessons for a period not exceeding three months, provided that these lessons are not repeated more than twice during his entire period of study to obtain the prescribed degree. These allowances shall be included in the tuition fees to be paid directly to the university or institute administration at the time.
Article Twenty-One
The cost of printing the scholarship student's thesis for obtaining a Master's or Doctorate degree shall be disbursed, provided that it does not exceed one hundred Bahraini Dinars.
Article Twenty-Two:
At the end of the scholarship, the scholarship student may bring additional luggage up to twenty kilograms by air, or its equivalent cost by sea freight, at the government's expense.
Article Twenty-Three
Disbursed to or on behalf of the scholarship student:
(a) The actual travel costs within the country of study only, for scientific, educational, and cultural purposes, with the prior approval of the Ministry of Education after endorsement from the office or representative of the Abu Dhabi government or the university itself.
(b) Travel costs between Abu Dhabi and the actual country of residence when the scholarship student is in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi during the summer vacation.
Article Twenty-Four
(a) A part of a month is considered a full month for the purposes of the financial regulations.
(b) The Ministry of Education may approve the student's residence in the dormitory. In this case, he will be paid a pocket money allowance of 35% of the minimum monthly allowance for the country of study instead of his monthly allowances, and the costs of housing and living in the dormitory will be at the government's expense.
Article Twenty-Five
The scholarship student's travel shall be in tourist class and at the reduced student fare whenever possible and according to the airline companies' regulations.
Article Twenty-Six
The Ministry of Education shall be responsible for health insurance and medical treatment for scholarship students and shall disburse health insurance fees, if available, or the actual costs of necessary medical treatment. The student must provide receipts certified by the representative or office of the Abu Dhabi government abroad or the official health authorities in the country of study for the aforementioned costs.
Article Twenty-Seven
The Ministry of Education shall implement this regulation. It shall be effective from 1/9/1971 and shall be published in the Official Gazette.
Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Crown Prince and Prime Minister
Mohammed Al Kindi
Minister of Education
17/8/1971