Bill to allow free home-schooling for children with disabilities submitted to Parliament

A bill to amend the Education Act to allow children with disabilities to receive home-schooling for free has been submitted to the People's Majlis. The amendment, the eighth to the Education Act, was submitted by Dr. Anara Naeem, the Member of Parliament for Huraa constituency. The bill proposes that children who are unable to attend school due to physical or mental disabilities, or other special circumstances, may be exempted from attending school and provided education through a home-schooling program in line with its principles. The amendment states that children who cannot attend school or receive education through home-schooling due to their disability would not be subject to compulsory education requirements. The bill outlines basic conditions for home-schooling, including that the child must be unable to attend school due to a physical or mental disability, that parents or guardians have the financial capacity to provide education at home, that the child is registered at a school, and that criteria for determining whether a child is exempt from compulsory education will be set out in regulations made by the ministry under the law. The amendment also states that if a child has completed secondary education recognized by the official education system before turning 16, they would not be required to attend school. Furthermore, parents or guardians must make appropriate efforts to educate the child in accordance with the child's disability.