Holidays, fees, online classes: Parents split as UAE schools prepare for early Friday closures

Parents are divided over how schools should adapt to the nationwide shift of Friday prayer time to 12:45 pm starting January 2026 – a change that could push school pick-ups even earlier than the current 12 pm dismissal.

As education regulators gather feedback before issuing final guidelines, scores of parents have flooded social media with concerns ranging from missed prayers to disrupted workdays, long holidays and rising school fees.

Many parents said the current Friday finish already makes it difficult for children to get home, change and reach the mosque on time.

“Children come back at 12.45 now… If prayer is at 12.45pm, how will they attend?” one parent asked.

Others want schools to offer supervised prayer halls on campus.

The strongest sentiment is to scrap Friday school entirely, especially since the day already lasts only 2 to 3 hours.

“What’s the point of sending kids for just 2-3 hours?”
Another post pointed out that if Sharjah can have a four-day week, then the rest of the country can follow as well.

“Better a four-day school week.”

Some suggested shifting Friday classes online, though working parents pushed back strongly, saying they cannot supervise children during work hours.

Many said earlier Friday pick-ups would be impossible to manage.

“Traffic is a mess.”

Several noted that the UAE workday still runs until the afternoon, leaving families caught between school runs and employer expectations.

Educators and parents worry that reducing Friday hours further will make it harder to finish the syllabus already tight because of a 4-week December break, Ramadan adjustments, and frequent mid-term holidays.
“The pressure on teachers, schools and students to finish the annual curriculum and maintain standards is immense. Reducing school time is only going to make it worse,” a parent noted.

“If Friday timing changes are being considered, I request that the education board also reconsider the need for a full month’s break in December.”

Others argued that the first two weeks of December and final weeks of June/July are “non-productive anyway.”

Dozens questioned increasing annual tuition fees while classroom time keeps shrinking.

“School hours are getting shorter, but fees are going up,” a parent noted.

“And will the fees be reduced?”

Among the more imaginative ideas:

Start school at 2pm on Fridays “for a relaxed, playdate vibe.”

“Why not do a 2-6pm day for Fridays?”

Nation-wide half-day for all employees.

Move back to the old Friday-Saturday weekend.

Add 30 minutes Mon–Thu to eliminate Friday entirely.

Across thousands of comments, parents’ views fall into four main camps:

Cancel Friday school

Move Friday online

Shift back to Fri–Sat weekend

Keep school open but offer prayer options on campus.

Authorities are still collecting feedback from schools before issuing final guidelines. But parents hoped for a solution that “puts children and families first.”