Education Middle East: To Infinity and Beyond!

Welcome to our Law Update Education edition with a comic twist! We have packed a lot of punch in the coming pages and hope you enjoy it.

The wingspan of the Al Tamimi Education team stretches from Cairo to Bahrain, covering every key market in the region. We have been fortunate enough to be involved in some of the biggest education deals in the region and have an opportunity to share some of our experiences here. We are a full service sector group covering all the sub-sectors including nurseries & KG, schools, Higher Education, vocational training and EdTech.

The sector never stops evolving. Saudi Arabia and Egypt have come out to play and there is huge interest in both. PPP is the buzzword this year (across the region) with lots happening and more in the pipeline.

In this edition, we have a double feature on PPP, in respect of procurement/construction and also specifically in relation to Qatar. We have a delicious smorgasbord of topics covered in our digital transformation article. In Higher Education we look at key employment considerations including tenure and academic freedom.

There is a round-up of developments in Bahrain including blockchain authenticated degrees. Our colleagues in Cairo take a further look at the international branch campus topic, one they are very familiar with having set up a number of them.

From a UAE perspective our Real Estate team considers the property rights available for investors/developers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. We also look at the latest child protection law which ties in with our ‘Children of Tomorrow’ project, which is a key part of our Corporate Social Responsibility commitment. We also take a look at accommodation of students of determination and the latest developments in the region.

In relation to Saudi Arabia, there are some important updates in relation to ownership/operation of schools and PPP, which we will report on separately when they are finalised.

Finally, we will be running a full-day Higher Education Conference in Dubai on Thursday, 10 October, specifically designed for those dealing with legal issues in the Higher Education sector, including GC’s, CEO’s, senior administrators, provosts, vice chancellors and other people who instruct external counsel.

Over the course of the day, over 20 industry experts from across many disciplines in the Middle East and beyond will form panels to discuss topics such as:

• an overview of the Higher Education landscape in the Middle East;
• key international trends in Higher Education;
• how EdTech is impacting the Higher Education sector;
• regional Investment opportunities in Higher Education;
• HR & Employment essentials for Higher Education; and
• the role of academia in the innovation ecosystem: How to transform research into innovation and legal vehicles for protection and monetization.

The event is by invitation only, however, if you are interested in attending, please contact our organisers for more information at EdSector@tamimi.com.

We hope you enjoy this edition and please feel free to share any ideas for future articles or feedback generally with me at i.mcgettigan@tamimi.com.