Assistant Undersecretary for Social Welfare and Rehabilitation: 43 Beneficiaries of the Willingness Training Program to Obtain a Driver's License

12-10-2019

The Assistant Undersecretary for Social Welfare and Rehabilitation at the Ministry of Labour and Social Development, Shaikha Aisha bint Ali Al Khalifa, announced that 43 persons with disabilities (people of determination) have so far benefited from the Ministry’s driving licence training programme, implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior under a memorandum of understanding to enable eligible participants to obtain a private driving licence. Key results to date • Budget covered by MLSD: BHD 4,830 across five cohorts; trainees do not bear any fees. • Training start: March 2019. • Graduates: 30 participants (physical and hearing disabilities, and cerebral palsy). • Training delivered: 690 hours. • In training now: 13 beneficiaries (physical, hearing, intellectual and cerebral palsy). She confirmed that the Memorandum of Understanding concluded between the Ministry of Labour and Social Development and the Ministry of Interior is grounded in Law No. 74 of 2006 on the Care, Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities and Law No. 23 of 2014 promulgating the Traffic Law. The MoU strengthens cooperation and coordination with governmental and civil society sectors to deliver qualitative change in the lives of persons with disabilities, provide the necessary protection, and develop practical programmes for their care and rehabilitation—enabling them to contribute to nation building and to participate in social development alongside all sectors and groups of society. Training programme timetable • Duration: three weeks. • Minimum of 22 and maximum of 30 training hours, according to the trainee’s needs. • Two hours per day, divided between theoretical and practical training at the Driving Education Department. • If the trainee does not pass the first examination, additional hours may be added up to a maximum of 8. Eligibility criteria The Assistant Undersecretary for Social Care and Rehabilitation clarified that to benefit from the training programme to obtain a driving licence, the applicant must: • Hold Bahraini nationality; • Be 18 years of age or older; • Possess a disability card issued by the Ministry of Labour and Social Development; and • Appear before a medical committee comprising representatives of the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Labour and Social Development, which determines the type of disability and whether the beneficiary should train with a private or public trainer. Training commences immediately upon the committee’s approval.