UAE extends distance learning for nurseries, schools till April 17

Dubai: The UAE has extended distance learning until Friday, April 17, 2026, for students, teachers, and administrative staff across all nurseries, kindergartens, and public and private schools nationwide.

The Ministry of Education made the announcement on Monday night, citing the safety and wellbeing of everyone as the primary reason for the extension.

The situation will be reviewed on a weekly basis, the ministry said, signalling that the April 17 date could be revised depending on developments.

The extension builds on a period of sustained remote learning that began on March 2 and was further extended at the start of Term 3 on March 23, after the spring break was brought forward by a week due to regional tensions.

Schools had rapidly adapted during the break to prepare for the online restart, with students and some faculty members logging on from different time zones and countries. As per the previous announcement, distance learning was to continue till April 3 with authorities expected to review the situation and make further announcement.

Meanwhile, Indian and Pakistani schools in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and the northern emirates opened the 2026–27 academic year online on Monday, a week later than originally planned, following directives from the Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA) and similar circulars from regulators in other emirates.

Hundreds of kindergarten students began schooling from home for the first time, with schools holding mock sessions over the weekend to prepare young pupils and their parents for online learning. Dubai's Asian curriculum schools had been scheduled to reopen on April 6.

With Monday night's announcement, that timeline has now shifted significantly further, keeping all students, from nursery age to secondary school, at home until at least mid-April.

Though authorities had kept the door open to accept requests from private educational institutions to resume in-person learning, Dubai's Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) later emphasised that any institution seeking to resume on-site learning must submit a formal request outlining clear and detailed justifications and each application will be assessed on its own merits and referred to the education ministry for a final call. 

Meanwhile, several universities in the UAE began a gradual resumption of in-person learning for priority academic programmes on Monday, March 30 following a circular issued by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHESR), in coordination with the Education, Human Development and Community Development Council.

The ministry’s directive seen by Gulf News permits the phased return of higher education institutions to campus specifically for programmes requiring clinical training, laboratory use, or direct practical and field-based application. It also allows examinations to be held on campus.

At the same time, some American universities in the UAE chose to remain fully remote for the time being.

American University of Sharjah said it would continue remote operations until further notice while American University of Ras Al Khaimah posted that distance learning and remote work would remain in place from March 30 to April 3. American University in Dubai also confirmed that classes and operations remain fully online.