Dubai: The UAE Ministry of Education has released the official school calendar until 2021, with the academic year being longer than before.
The new calendar suggests that schools will have 182 days in the academic year, up from 175.
“The Ministerial Council for Development approves the school calendar for public and private schools that follow the ministry curriculum, as well as private education schools that follow foreign curricula in the country for the next three years [2018-2021],” the Ministry of Education announced.
The calendar will be applied in all public schools that follow the ministry’s curriculum and also private schools that follow a foreign curriculum.
According to the circular, pupils will commence the school year on September 2, 2018, while staff members will begin work on August 26, 2018.
The schools following the ministry’s curriculum will have longer winter breaks for pupils, from December 16, 2018 to January 10, 2019, and academic staff will have their holiday break from December 23, 2018 until January 3, 2019.
For schools following foreign curricula, the winter break for pupils will be from December 16, 2018 and schools will open on January 6, 2019.
Parents can also make early travel arrangements for next year’s summer holiday as the last day of school for pupils will be July 4, 2019, while staff will work until July 11.
The spring break for pupils for all schools will be from March 31, 2019 to April 11, 2019 and schools will open on April 14, 2019.
In Dubai, private schools have also adjusted their calendars after the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) said that pupils in the Emirate will start the academic year on September 2.
Private schools following foreign curriculums were allowed marginal leeway of no more than one week from the dates approved in the school calendars. However, such schools must first acquire permission from the relevant educational authority in their respective emirate if they choose to make any amendments.
