Gulf News, 5 October 2025: Abu Dhabi’s education regulator has introduced mandatory ethical standards for all schools under its supervision, establishing specific behaviours that teaching staff must follow.

The Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) has outlined six core standards that schools must incorporate into their conduct codes, covering national identity, professional relationships, legal compliance, digital practices, community protection, and school safety.

Key requirements for educators include: fair treatment of all students and colleagues, prevention of discrimination in classrooms, mentoring of new teaching staff, obtaining proper permits for private tutoring, implementation of cybersecurity measures, reporting of suspected abuse cases and addressing academic dishonesty.

The standards mandate that teachers must respect diverse religious and cultural backgrounds while upholding Emirati values. Digital responsibility features prominently, with requirements for educators to teach students about online information verification and ethical AI usage.

Schools must also ensure staff participate in continuous professional development and engage in environmental and social initiatives.

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