EIDA, HCT sign memo of understanding to replace student and staff numbers with national ID number

The Emirates ID Authority signed a memorandum of understanding with the Higher Colleges of Technology, enabling the colleges to replace the student and staff ID numbers with the unique national ID numbers, which are issued by the Emirates ID Authority for UAE nationals and legally residing expatriates to stay with them for life.

Under this memorandum of understanding, the two parties will cooperate to enhance and develop the tools and mechanisms to use the ID card in different work areas at the colleges and the services offered to their customers that would have positive impacts on quality of such services. The two parties also aim to enhance the mutual cooperation to build an accurate database for HCT customers and exchange experiences to serve the strategic goals for each party and organize the joint events and conferences.

The MoU was signed by HE Dr. Abdullatif Al Shamsi, HCT Chancellor and HE Dr. Seed bin Mutlaq Al Ghafli, Director General of the Emirates ID Authority, in presence of several officials of both parties at the HCT main office in Abu Dhabi.

After signing the memorandum, Dr. Abdullatif Al Shamsi expressed his pleasure to cooperate with the Emirates ID Authority to harness the ID card features. By this step, the colleges will be the first higher education institution to replace the student and staff ID numbers with the national ID number, said Dr. Al Shamsi. This accentuates the ID card significance in the people life given its role in stressing the individual identities through the personal number and the smart ID card linked to individual biometrics, he said. In addition, this link would support building accurate database for all employees and students at the HCT 17 branches across the UAE.

Dr. Al Shamsi stressed the need for this cooperation as the HCT is the biggest higher education institution in the UAE, teaching about 25 thousand students at its branches across the UAE. This step, he said, will enhance and support the student data management, update and handling with better regulation and technology. The cooperation with the Emirates ID Authority will increase chances of exchanging expertise and cohosting events through workshops, conferences and activities that would improve the student awareness of how to deal and manage the population data with state of the art technological systems and methods.

The HCT is always seeking to strengthen its relations with different society institutions as a part of its strategic plans, Dr. Al Shamsi said. This would serve the best interest of students, in particular, and the HCT community, in general, he said praising the Emirates ID Authority effort to play its national and social role especially at the level of comprehensive and accurate population register with the highest level of security.

For his part Dr. Saeed Abdullah bin Mutlaq Al Ghafli, EIDA Director General, stressed that the Emirates ID Authority is keen to expand the use of ID card to be the service card number one that facilitates life of the people and enables them to obtain services easily with the least time and effort.

The HCT reliance on the ID card as a replacement of the student ID card and the staff ID card will enable it to build consolidated accurate database for its customers and will facilitate the regulation of records and connection between the different systems, he said. The database held by the Emirates ID Authority in form of the population register is a key and main enabler in service projects executed by the state institutions and a comprehensive and accurate reference for data that the decision maker needs in such institutions to make well-informed decisions according to the best standards and the highest accuracy levels.

Relying on the ID card will enable the HCT to obtain, update and upload student and staff member data on the internal systems using the ID card reader, he said. The ID card chip carries all the personal data of the card holder including the name, age, date, place of birth and address as well as the biometric data including the personal photo and fingerprints. This would save time and effort in student registration and facilitate file creation and update, improving the accuracy of file`s data.

Dr. Al Ghafli stressed that the Emirates ID Authority is willing to support all initiatives launched by the public and private entities to harness the service and technological features provided by the ID card to develop services offered to the customers. This would cut the costs on one hand and save time and effort the customers would take to obtain services on the other.

According to the MoU, the Emirates ID Authority will provide ID card reader to the HCT to update the student data. The two parties will work together to exchange opinions on knowledge, economic and human development and improvement of the innovation application concepts and skills. In addition, the two parties cooperate in organizing conferences, workshops and specialized seminars that discuss the best practices in common areas and open new ways for constant cooperation.