School Holidays in the UAE 2022. Do UAE schoolchildren have more time off than the rest of the world?

School holidays in the UAE are potentially facing change with the new shorter working week announced across emirates including Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. We ask: do UAE schoolchildren have more time off than the rest of the world? That has been the question on many parents’ lips on hearing that UAE schools will adapt their weekends to come in line with the UAE government’s changes to school hours in our schools.

The UAE Government last week announced that it would transition to a four-and-a-half-day workweek, with Saturday, Sunday and Friday half-day forming the new weekend. Abu Dhabi and Dubai’s education regulators, ADEK and the KHDA, confirmed schools in the two emirates would follow suit.

The emirate of Sharjah has taken it one step further, announcing a four-day workweek from 2022 with Friday, Saturday and Sunday forming the new weekend – a radically shortened working week that the Sharjah Private Education Authority confirmed would also be followed by Sharjah schools, effective from 1 January 2022.

But will this extra time off affect school holidays? And will it mean that students in the UAE study for fewer hours than students elsewhere in the world?

Adapting to the new workweek

There has been speculation on social media that the school day might have to be extended in order to accommodate curriculum requirements in the truncated work-week.

UAE government working hours are set to be 7.30am until 3.30pm Monday to Thursday, and 7.30am to 12pm on Fridays. Exact school hours have not been specified as yet – except that schools are required to close by 12pm on Fridays in order to allow for Friday prayers.

Michael Lambert, Headmaster of Dubai College, commented on the impact of the shorter working week to SchoolsCompared.com:

“I can foresee certain logistical challenges in so far as GCSE and A Levels have a certain number of recommended guided learning hours.

“Squeezing in the requisite number of guided learning hours for 10 GCSEs, in addition to a day’s worth of Arabic, Islamic, UAE Social Studies and Moral Education each week, plus some sport (also crucial for wellbeing) and our extra-curricular programme (which our children love), and a lunch break each day may prove a challenge.”

Nevertheless, despite any logistical challenges, Lambert and all other UAE school leaders have welcomed the UAE government’s move, praising the progressive ethos behind it.

“Families will have more time together with genuine space to switch off and enjoy each other’s company,” Mark Leppard MBE, Headmaster of The British School Al Khubairat, told SchoolsCompared.com. “From an educational perspective, quality family time is a huge factor in a child’s development, which in turn supports their educational journey. I think people will be energised and more productive, both teachers and students.”

The UAE authorities said that the decision to have a 4.5 day working week has been made following comprehensive benchmarking and feasibility studies reflecting the potential impacts of the move on the economy, social and family ties and the overall wellbeing of the people in the UAE.

Global research also shows that it’s not the number of hours spent in a school environment that impacts children’s learning, but how that time is used.

“It is definitely a case of quality over quantity,” said Mark Leppard MBE. “More does not always equate to better.”

While we expect official announcements on school-day timings and academic calendar updates to be made in due course, in the meantime here is how the UAE academic calendar compares with that of schools across the world.

UAE School Holiday Rules and Dates for 2021/ 2022*

*Please note: the following may be subject to change based on the recent change to the working week in the UAE. We will update as and when more information becomes available.

The UAE Ministry of Education (MOE) sets the minimum number of school days in the year for all UAE public schools.

It also stipulates certain holiday beginning and end dates that cannot be deviated from.

Schools that do not follow the MOE curriculum must have a minimum of 182 school days per academic year. The MOE curriculum schools vary between 186 – 188 instruction days per year.

WINTER VACATION

According to the MOE rules, Winter vacation must be 3 weeks, regardless of the curriculum being followed. These dates are set and cannot be changed.

Thursday December 10 2021: All schools break up for Winter vacation

Sunday January 2 2022: All schools return after Winter vacation

SPRING BREAK

MOE curriculum schools have three weeks off for Spring Break.

Thursday 24 March 2022: MOE curriculum schools break up for Spring Break. Private schools that do not follow the MOE curriculum have the option of following this calendar too.

Sunday 17 April 2022: MOE curriculum schools return from Spring Break. Private schools that do not follow the MOE curriculum have the option of following this calendar too.

However, private schools are also allowed to cut this break down to be just two weeks and use the extra holiday days elsewhere in the year. Schools that do this will have these dates:

Thursday March 2022: Some non-MOE curriculum private schools break up for Spring Break.

April 10 2022: Some non-MOE curriculum private schools return from Spring Break.

Check with your individual school calendar to find out if this means your child has a half term or not.

SUMMER VACATION

According to the MOE rules, Summer vacation must not exceed 8.2 weeks, regardless of the curriculum being followed.

June 30 2022: The academic year is not allowed to end before this date for any UAE school.

28 August 2022: All UAE private and public schools must return on this date, regardless of the curriculum being followed.

How do UAE school holidays compare to those of children around the world?

There is much debate about the ideal number of instruction days at school per year, and about the relative pros and cons of longer holidays. Parents, teachers and students will all have their different views, with some pointing out the ‘learning loss’ that can happen over longer vacations, or the difficulty of finding alternative childcare provision, while others argue for the benefits of down-time and the opportunity to travel or spend time in ‘real-world’ learning.

But how do UAE school holidays compare to those of children around the world? With so many nationalities living in the country, every family will have its own point of comparison. Here, we look at the average number of school days for children in different countries around the world, ordered from least to most…

Minimum number of days in schools around the world

France: 162 days. The minimum is for 36 weeks per year, which would be 180 days, but because many French schools have a half-day on Wednesdays, this makes 162 days per year

Sweden: 178 days minimum; 190 days maximum

Italy: 180 days

USA: 180 days minimum

UAE: A minimum of 182 days. MOE schools have 186 – 188 days.

Finland: 190 days per year officially, although public holidays often decrease the number

UK: 190 days per year

Canada: 194 days

India: Exact amount varies widely depending on the area. Some Northern states of India can have up to 240 days, while schools in other states have just 196 days.

South Africa: 200 days per year

Australia: 200 days per year

Philippines: around 203 – 209 days

Japan: 210 days per year

Russia: 211 days per year

China: 221 days per year