No attendance requirement for 'hotspots' students

The Federal National Council called for reconsidering the compulsory attendance rate for UAE students in case of emergencies in the countries they are studying in. The Council also approved a draft federal law on the establishment of Emirates Post Group, during its 13th session of its 15th legislative chapter in Abu Dhabi under the chairmanship of its Speaker Mohammed Ahmed al Murr. FNC members urged measures to regulate career fairs and to add the salary increase, ordered in January 2012 by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to the basic salaries of UAE citizens. Present during the session were Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for FNC Affairs and Obaid Humaid Al Tayer, Minister of State for Financial Affairs. The Council members made seven inquiries about exempting students from compulsory attendance when the countries they are studying in are going through emergency situations, the creation of a federal authority for medicine and food control, a regulatory framework for career fairs in the country, measures taken to collect bank deposits for projects financed by funds for young entrepreneurs, supporting Emiratisation plans, adding recent hikes in salaries to the basic and increasing salaries of Emirates Post retirees. In his opening speech, Al Murr lauded the decision of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research to admit children of Emirati mothers in all three government higher education institutions; the UAE University, the Zayed University and the Higher Colleges of Technology. "The Ministry's decision comes as part of our wise leadership's keenness to enhance national identity and to cement values of loyalty and dedication to our homeland," he said. He indicated that the FNC hosted the Parliamentary meetings of experts committee for Union of the Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (PUIC) to prepare the draft declaration of the Islamic Parliament yesterday passed the 19 item initiative after introducing some amendments.