UAE sets textbook packages for every grade in new school-year guide

Dubai: The UAE Ministry of Education has approved a new guide setting out the textbooks and learning resources students will receive during the 2026-27 academic year, giving families and schools a single reference for the materials required at each grade level.

The Student Curriculum Book Package Guide identifies three main components of each pupil’s learning package, establishes a four-stage process for distributing textbooks and sets out five instructions for keeping books in good condition throughout the school year.

It also explains how schools should deal with textbooks that are lost or damaged.

The ministry said the guide was developed to support an integrated learning environment and improve the quality of education by ensuring students have access to a complete and approved curriculum, supporting the objectives of UAE Vision 2031.

It is intended to help students, parents and school administrations check that all required textbooks have been received, preserve the materials throughout the year and strengthen awareness of the importance of printed educational resources.

Printed and digital materials

Each student package consists of three components: printed textbooks; educational resources and learning kits; and electronic books available through the Smart Learning Platform.

The model brings printed and digital materials together in a single learning package tailored to each grade.

The ministry has also laid out four stages for textbook distribution.

The contracted company will first deliver the required books to schools across the UAE according to an approved timetable. Schools must then check that the quantities supplied correspond with the actual number of pupils at each educational stage.

The third stage involves formally approving delivery and receipt documents with the textbook distributor, followed by the final distribution of books to students according to the approved package for each grade and school stage.

Lost or damaged books

The guide also distinguishes between accidental and deliberate loss or damage.

If a textbook is lost or damaged unintentionally, the student must submit a formal request to the school administration, which will review the circumstances and take the necessary steps to provide a replacement.

Where books are deliberately lost or damaged, replacements will be ordered from the approved supplier and the associated costs will be charged.

The ministry has included first-term textbook lists for the 2026-27 academic year in three categories.

The first covers electronic books only, while the second includes printed and electronic books for Dubai and the Northern Emirates. A third list covers printed and electronic books for Abu Dhabi.

Students, parents and schools can also access the approved lists through a QR code included in the guide.