According to the latest directives from the Ministry of Education (MoE) of the United Arab Emirates, there will be 3 long holidays in the current academic year, including a 21-day long Spring Break in April.
With over 639 public and 580 private schools in the UAE with an approximate combined strength of over 1 million students, private schools in the country account for about 50 percent of all of the schools in the UAE.
UAE School Holidays 2023
Public schools and private schools that abide by the curriculum of UAE’s Ministry of Education (MoE) will see three holidays within the current academic year in 2023.
Even though the Ministry of Education governs schools in the UAE, the regulations for school operations are passed by the Knowledge & Human Development Authority (KHDA) in Dubai and the Abu Dhabi Department of Knowledge (ADEK) in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.
The first of the holidays will be the Spring Break, which begins after the end of the second semester, starts on 27th March 2023, and lasts till 16th April 2023, making it the last available long holiday for school-going children in the current academic year.
Students will return to school after finishing the Spring Break on April 17, 2023. For teachers, the Spring Break will be of 16-days starting on April 1, 2023, and ending on April 16, 2023.
Following the Spring Break will be the holidays for the Eid-Al-Fitr and Eid-Al-Adha celebrations.
The Eid-Al-Fitr holidays will be between Ramadan 29 and Shawwal 3 in the Hijri calendar, which is expected from April 20 2023 till April 23, 2023, confirmation of which is subjected to moon-sighting.
The Eid-Al-Adha holidays (including Arafah Day) will start on June 27 2023 and end on June 30, 2023.
According to the Ministry of Education school calendar, the summer vacation duration must is not greater than 8.2 weeks, irrespective of the curriculum the school follows. Also, as per the directives from the ministry, schools must have at least 182 teaching days in an academic year.
Apart from the Spring Break, Eid-Al-Fitr, and Eid-Al-Adha holidays, students and parents in the United Arab Emirates can also look out to the other long-weekend public holidays for the year 2023.
The Hijri New Year will fall on July 21, 2023, which is a Friday. Thus, this means that everyone including students can enjoy a 3-day long weekend comprising of the following Saturday and Sunday.
Again, the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is also on a Friday, which is on the 29th of September 2023. Again, that also means a long weekend considering Saturday and Sunday.
Other holidays for the year 2023 include all the public holidays as per the Gregorian and Hijri calendar, including the UAE’s National Day 2023.
Usually, during late June/early July, the schools in the United Arab Emirates will close for Summer Break. It is after this Summer Break that schools begin with the new academic year for the next calendar year. Also, depending on the curriculum and dates the school follows, students may also enjoy additional holidays.
Following the remote-learning concept introduced during the Covid-19 outbreak, students started returning back to schools during the last academic year. Nowadays, schools are seeing an almost full class of students compared to the scary times of the Covid-19 peak. Students too were really excited to return back to school and have physical interaction with their peers and teachers, as well as take part in the fun and educational activities in school, compared to the restricted and often boring learning atmosphere at home.
However, the UAE authorities and school managements still follow definitive and careful measures to ensure that children are completely safe from the Covid-19 virus at school. Parents are advised not to send their children to school if they’re sick. Moreover, teachers and other staff are encouraged to get Covid-19 tested for additional safety.
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All schools in the United Arab Emirates are well-prepared to move into remote learning mode if the needs arise. An example was seen during recent times in Dubai and other northern emirates of the UAE, wherein heavy rain clogged the roads and halted all activities.
Schools immediately chose to switch to remote learning mode to ensure that students can continue to attend classes in a safe and convenient environment and also to make sure that the school calendar days aren’t affected.
It is important to note that as per law, schools cannot confirm holidays unless announced by the government authorities. All holiday dates are tentatively provided by the school management and only confirmed once officially announced by the UAE government authorities.
Parents are advised to stay tuned to official news and updates from the school or the government to know about the latest updates about holidays at school in the UAE, as well as immediate switches to the remote learning mode based on the latest requirements and happenings in the country.