Four Day week for UAE schools from next year? All you need to know

Could UAE schools be set to switch to four days from next academic year?

Multiple local media reports today claimed that from July 1 2023, UAE federal government employees will be allowed to switch to a four-day week under new flexible working rules.

Article 6 of the Federal Decree Law No. (49) of 2022 On Human Resources in Federal Government outlines five different patterns of employment for federal employees, including:

“Flexible Work: Work which performance hours or working days change according to the employer’s volume of work and economic and operational variables, where the employee may work for the employer at variable times according to work conditions and requirements.”

Several media outlets claimed that this would mean federal employees may now choose a compressed week, in which they condense their 40 hours of work into four days, working no more than 10 hours per day – and that this change would come into effect on 1 July 2023.

However, the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources has since headed to social media to announce that there is “no change in working hours from the start of July”. The statement went on to say that the ‘compressed week’ system represents one possible expansion within the new working models, but that this would be in only specific or exceptional circumstances and would be subject to the agreement between employer and employee.

الهيئة: عدم تغيير مواعيد العمل مع بداية شهر يوليو

ما يتم تداوله مؤخراً على منصات وسائل التواصل الاجتماعية فيما يتعلق بتغيير مواعيد العمل في الحكومة الاتحادية مع بداية شهر يوليو 2023 لا صحة له. pic.twitter.com/cRulQ1Vknk

 

— FAHR (@FAHR_UAE) June 8, 2023

But despite this clarification, the government’s commitment to a flexible work model still stands, and previous experience has led many parents and teachers to speculate about the possibility of UAE schools also switching to a four-day week at some point in the future.

Should UAE schools switch to a four-day week?

UAE schools have followed the government’s lead before when it comes to flexible working weeks. It originally came as a shock when news broke that UAE private schools would adopt the government’s new working structure and change to a 4.5 day working week from 1 January 2022.

The emirate of Sharjah however took it one step further, announcing that all Sharjah schools would switch to a four-day working week, with a three-day weekend consisting of Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Since then, Principals have been preparing for the possibility that all UAE schools could at some point cut down to a four-day week; especially since Sharjah’s four-day model has been generally lauded as a success. Traffic accidents and fatalities in the emirate have fallen dramatically since Sharjah introduced its four-day week, and emirate-wide surveys have found that workers cite a greater feeling of happiness and wellbeing in being able to enjoy a three-day weekend with their families.  James McDonald, Principal/CEO, GEMS Wesgreen International School – Sharjah told SchoolsCompared:

“Students come to school more energised and ready to learn. Student performance has improved, and this can be directly related to the improved delivery of lessons, which we believe is linked to the improvements in wellbeing caused by the three-day weekends.”

SchoolsCompared reached out to Dubai’s school regulator, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), to ask about the possibility of Dubai schools following Sharjah’s lead and switching to a four-day week, but the regulator declined to comment at this time.

However, Patrick Affley, Director of Ajman Academy, told SchoolsCompared that his school and many others have been preparing contingency plans, in case the news of a 4-day working week breaks at a later date:

“The rumours of a 4-day week have been circulating for a number of months now. Positive feedback from some Sharjah schools has added to these rumours. We have prepared a contingency plan in case this is made mandatory across the Private Sector.”

But how easy would it be to implement a four-day week in schools? It is already a challenge to compress the curricuclum requirements into a 4.5-day working week, so what would happen if this were to be reduced further? Mr Affley comments:

“In theory, a 4-day week will be very difficult to manage across ‘through schools’. Our younger students will struggle with longer days on Monday- Thursday and it wouldn’t be viable for them. Older students would be able to cope with longer days. Parents will expect the time to be made up, which would generally mean an extra hour every day. The school curriculum is already difficult to fit in to a 4.5-day week and this would make it more difficult.”

However, there are also sure to be many benefits to a shorter working week, even if it might place added pressure on parents who work for five days or more in the private sector:

“A longer weekend would be good for wellbeing amongst staff and students with potentially more focussed activities planned in the 4-day week. This decision may put pressure on parents to provide extra childcare for their children on Fridays. Attendance in school is generally lower now on a Friday since the decision to move to 4.5-day weeks anyway, so a focused 4 day week may see an improved educational experience for the children.”

How has the four-day week worked for Sharjah Schools?

One of the most compelling reasons for the speculation regarding a 4-day week for all UAE schools is due to the perceived success of its implementation in Sharjah schools. James McDonald, Principal/CEO, GEMS Wesgreen International School – Sharjah told SchoolsCompared about how they made it work:

“The length of the school day had to be increased to ensure we can cover the curriculum.

“A longer school day in a four-day week does have several benefits.

“Firstly, for many parents it better aligns with working hours, making it easier for them to manage their schedules.

“Secondly, students have an extra day to rest and recharge, which can help reduce stress and anxiety.

“A longer weekend can also provide more time for family and extracurricular activities, which can contribute to overall wellbeing.”

Mr McDonald says that overall both staff and students have welcomed the four-day-week format in Sharjah:

“Staff have been very positive about the move to a four-day week in Sharjah. Our school weeks are busy but very productive in terms of high-quality teaching and delivering on student progress.

“Wellbeing is at the heart of the four-day week, and it really does bring a happiness factor. It does mean a very demanding four days in school for both teachers and students, but I believe the benefits outweigh the cons.

“All in all, the four-day week has been very successfully implemented in Sharjah and is very popular with our parent community.”

Mixed reviews from parents

While many parents like the idea of a three-day weekend, not everyone welcomes the possibility of a four-day school week – especially since the private sector has not generally opted to follow the government in adopting a 4.5-day working week and there are few flexible working options for parents working for private companies. Schools dropping down to 4 days a week would further exacerbate the disparity between working hours, school hours and subsequent childcare needs for parents working in the private sector.

One parent, who asked to remain anonymous, told SchoolsCompared that the prospect of the school week being cut down to four days is “terrifying”:

“Please tell me this is not going to happen. I cannot see how it is going to be good for anybody. And I can’t believe it would truly make anyone more productive.

“The idea that this could happen is terrifying news. Teachers are already under so much pressure; if the week gets cuts short the expectations will be so unrealistic, the pressure from paying parents will be so much that the quality of teaching staff is bound to go down.

“I can’t see in any way that it will work. The curriculum delivery for British and American schools is already strained because of the requirement to integrate additional subjects such as Arabic into the school week, and this would surely tip it over the edge.

“Please tell me this is not going to happen and that the rest of us can remain on a 5-day week? We need the time to work so that we can actually afford to send them to schools in the first place.”

 

Do you think a four-day working week would be a positive thing for UAE schools? Please share your thoughts to [email protected].