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Find out moreWelcome to the Saudi Arabia focus edition of Law Update.
One of the key markets in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) that continues to lead from the front is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). As the largest country in the Middle East and the 18th largest economy in the world, the progress KSA continues to make is underpinned by its Vision 2030 that envisions developing the country as an investment powerhouse and hub that ultimately connects Asia, Europe, and Africa. Given Saudi Arabia’s significance to the regional economy, our team of experts have prepared a range of pertinent articles that provide insights into new laws, regulations, and the legal landscape in the Kingdom.
This edition will provide you with an up-to-date guide on matters such as; the framework issued by the Saudi Central Bank on IT governance, the anti-corruption landscape under Vision 2030; we also provide practical tips for dispute avoidance. This is only a snapshot; there are many more articles within the KSA focus section for you to read, which we hope you will find valuable and enjoyable.
Read the editionKamaljit Dosanjh - Senior Associate - Employment and Incentives
August 2017
Education continues to be an important area of development in Qatar. In the past 18 months, there have been a number of developments regarding the regulation of education in Qatar. In brief:
This article will focus on the second bullet point, namely recent developments relating to the provision of educational services in Qatar. Developments in relation to private schools and public schools will be examined in future updates.
Educational Services Law: Application
The Minister of Education and Higher Education’s Resolution on Providing Educational Services (Resolution No. 10 of 2017) (the ‘Resolution’) came into effect in April 2017. The Resolution clarifies key provisions of Qatar’s Law No. 8 of 2015 the Educational Services Law (the ‘Educational Services Law’), which came into effect in November 2015.
The Educational Services Law governs any individual or entity that provides educational services (defined below); however, it does not apply to educational services offered by:
In addition, the Educational Services Law does not apply to ‘private schools’ (private school means every non-governmental facility that provides education from kindergarten through to the end of secondary school).
What are Educational Services?
Educational services are defined in the Educational Services Law to include education and/or training in the fields of:
Relevantly, the Minister passed the Resolution, which expands the educational services fields (as stated in the Educational Services Law) to include the following:
The Resolution provides no additional guidance regarding what each of these fields includes; however, generally speaking, subject to the exclusions set out above and in the absence of a more specific law, the Educational Services Law will apply to private higher educational institutions, such as colleges and universities, offering education or training in relation to any of the fields set out above.
Key provisions of the Educational Services Law
Key provisions of the Educational Services Law, as clarified by the Resolution, are summarised as follows:
License Application Documents
The Resolution provides that any application for a license must be accompanied by the following documents and information:
Bank Guarantee
A licence is subject to a bank guarantee being provided, in the sum of:
The bank guarantee may be deducted (in full or partially) if:
In addition, the Supreme Education Council may also impose the following sanctions:
Other penalties
The Educational Services Law also sets out general provisions that permit the following penalties to be imposed:
Finally, a court may also impose additional penalties, including:
Looking Forward
Education remains a key area for development in Qatar. We have already seen a number of developments in relation to private schools and educational services providers. Further reforms relating to public schools are expected to be introduced later this year. We will continue to monitor these developments and provide updates from time to time.
Note: the Qatari laws mentioned in this article are issued in Arabic and there are no official translations. For the purposes of this article, we have used our own unofficial translations. Where applicable, we have interpreted the laws mentioned in the context of any applicable regulations and in line with current market practice.
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