Schools in the UAE adjusting MoE guidelines, implementing changes to unified academic calendar with revised dates and minor adjustments.
Unified School Calendar Introduces Changes for UAE Schools
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is set to introduce a new unified school calendar for the 2025-2026 academic year, affecting both public and private schools across the nation. Here's a breakdown of the key changes and their advantages.
Changes in the Unified Calendar
The academic year will commence on August 25, 2025, and conclude on July 3, 2026, with the exception of Sharjah private schools, which will end on July 2, 2026 [1][3]. The calendar includes three mid-term breaks and a four-week winter break. Mid-term breaks are scheduled for October 13-19, 2025, February 11-15, 2026, and May 25-31, 2026 [3][4]. The winter break spans from December 8, 2025, to January 4, 2026 [3][5], while the spring break is from March 16 to March 29, 2026, with private schools in Sharjah having a shorter break from March 16 to March 22, 2026 [3].
Benefits of the Unified Calendar
- Enhanced Family Cohesion: The standardized calendar aims to enhance family time and create a balanced learning environment, aligning with the UAE's "Year of Community" initiative, promoting social cohesion and community engagement [1][2].
- Improved Academic Planning: The unified calendar helps schools plan their academic schedules more effectively, ensuring consistency across the country, which supports better curriculum management and assessment planning [4].
- Alignment with Community Activities: Consistent holiday dates allow cultural, tourism, and community organizations to align their activities with the academic calendar, reinforcing the connection between education and broader society [2][4].
- Flexibility for Private Schools: While all private schools must follow the unified calendar, those not adhering to the government curriculum have some flexibility in scheduling mid-term breaks, ensuring they can accommodate operational needs while maintaining alignment with national schedules [5].
Impact on Schools
Principals across various schools have shared their expectations and plans for the upcoming changes. Lisa Johnson, Principal of American Academy for Girls, expects the alignment of school calendars to create even greater consistency across schools in the UAE, benefiting both families and staff [6]. No major changes will be required in the academy's schedule, with only minor adjustments to the start and end dates of terms, as well as holiday breaks [7]. Lisa also mentioned that a few small tweaks will be made to the event and assessment schedule [8].
Nargish Khambatta, the Principal and CEO of GEMS Modern Academy, stated that the changes will have a greater impact on Indian syllabus schools, but it is an "opportunity" for the students [9]. Recalibration of term structure, assessment schedules, and reporting timelines will be necessary for these schools [9]. Matthew Burfield, the principal of GEMS Founders School, has communicated the changes to parents to ensure any plans families had been making could be changed [10]. GEMS Founders School will have slight changes to the dates of this academic year, with no impact on curriculum delivery. There was a slight adjustment made to the assessment schedule in the second term to match the new winter break times [11].
Parental Perspective
Bushra Ahmed, a parent with children in a Dubai school, is holding off on making any plans due to the new directive [12]. Parents, according to Lisa, seem pleased about the extended winter break [13].
As the changes approach, schools and parents are preparing for the transition, looking forward to the benefits the unified calendar promises. Official approval from the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) is awaited, and schools will share the updated calendar with parents once it is received [14].
Read also:
- Inherent Skills Know No Bounds, Yet Access to Employment Remains Unequal: Suggestions for a More Equitable Job Market of the Future
- Affordable supermarket purchases from dollar stores are not sabotaging typical American nutritional habits, according to research findings
- Harnessing Crowdsourced Research for the Preservation of Australia's Enchanting Wildlife Species via SeadragonSearch
- Supporting urban advancement
