Abu Dhabi has approved a Dh6,000 ($1,634) a month increase in housing allowance to all nationals and expatriates working in the education sector in an effort to offset soaring rents.

The state news agency WAM said the increase would be included in the pay packets of around 13,000 teachers and school administrators in the capital of the UAE and the oasis town of Al-Ain from June.

Mughir Khamis al-Khalili, director-general of Abu Dhabi Education Council, said the increase would help education sector employees deal with rising prices and rents.

Inflation in the UAE hit an at least 20-year peak of 11.4 percent last year, a Reuters poll showed last month. The state has already raised the wages of some federal government employees by 70 percent this year.

Other Gulf Arab states have also boosted wages, increased subsidies and introduced cost of living allowances to offset the impact of inflation on their populations.-Reuters