UAE School Rules 2026-27: No Homework, Fewer Screens and What It Means at Home

If your child is in a public school or a private school on the Ministry curriculum, this year looks different: no homework from kindergarten to Grade 2, and books, notebooks and pens instead of devices in Grade 6 Arabic, English, maths and science. The Minister of Education, Sarah Al Amiri, announced them on 26 August and explained why. Here's the practical bit: who it covers, what replaces the homework, and what you can borrow at home whichever school your child is in.

Who it applies to

Public schools and private schools on the Ministry of Education curriculum: 1.28 million pupils in public schools alone, but not every school in Dubai or Abu Dhabi. British, IB, American and Indian curriculum schools set their own homework and device policies under their own regulators. Our guide to choosing a school in Dubai explains which schools follow which curriculum.

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No homework from KG to Grade 2, and what replaces it

Children from KG1 to Grade 2 are no longer sent home with worksheets. In their place the ministry asks for one thing: daily reading at home, which in its words "restores a healthy balance between school and family life". A book on the sofa after dinner is the homework now: ten minutes, the child holding the book, you listening.

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Grade 6: books instead of screens in four subjects

Grade 6 classes now use books, notebooks and pens for Arabic, English, maths and science. It extends a rule that already existed: KG to Grade 4 in public schools were not using devices in class, apart from lessons that teach digital tools. Tablets and computers stay where they serve a purpose, and in computer science and AI lessons.

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What the ministry found

A ministry study across nine public schools and 2,500 pupils last year compared classes taught with digital tools against classes on paper; the ministry shared its preliminary results at the announcement and has not published the full study. Pupils in the device-free classes improved more, particularly in maths, science and Arabic; those on the borderline nearly doubled their attainment; classrooms were calmer, and the minister said friendships formed "because of the reduction in screen time". It is not a verdict on screens at home, but it is why a whole system changed course.

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What else is new this year

• AI is a subject from KG to Grade 12
• Grades 9 to 12 are assessed 50:50 between school-based and central tests
• A Grade 7 project ties Arabic, English, maths and science into one task
• Diagnostic tests early in the year, so support starts before the first report
• Every public and Ministry-licensed private school is evaluated over two years

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The dates that matter

Term started on 31 August 2026; winter break is 14 December to 1 January, spring break 5 to 9 April, and the year ends on 2 July 2027. Other private schools may move the October and February mid-term breaks by up to five days, so check yours. What's on in the breaks is on our calendar.

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If your child is in a different curriculum

Nothing here obliges your school, but the study travels. Ask for the device policy by year group, whether early-years homework is worksheets or reading, and how screens are used in the core subjects. A clear, specific answer tells you a lot about a school.

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What to borrow at home

The ministry's rules make a decent household routine, whatever the school:

• Reading after dinner instead of a worksheet, the child reading to you
• Screens for a purpose: a specific task with an end, not a default while waiting
• Homework for the older ones on paper first, the device for what needs it
• One question at pick-up that is not "how was school": "what did you read today?"

None of it needs a chart on the fridge; it needs the tablet somewhere else at 6pm.

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Something to do this week

Pick one book your child can read to you, the same one all week if that is what they want; the reading is the point. Then ask in the Community what other mums' schools are doing with screens this term. If sick days get in the way, what to do when your child is sick in Dubai is the other piece worth keeping.

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Sources

• Ministry of Education statement on the 2026–27 year and the digital-tools study (WAM, via Zawya): https://www.zawya.com/en/world/ministry-of-education-announces-readiness-of-education-system-for-2026-2027-academic-year-468282
• Ministry of Education, academic calendar 2026–2027: https://moe.gov.ae/en/guides/Pages/Academic-calendar-2026-2027.aspx
• The National, 26 August 2026, the Minister's announcement: https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/uae/2026/08/26/uae-schools-no-homework-no-screens-new-rules/
• Khaleej Times, what is changing in UAE schools in 2026–27: https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/schools-and-parents/uae-schools-2026-2027-academic-year-new-rules-policies-explained
• Khaleej Times, device use in core subjects: https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/uae-schools-limit-device-use-new-classroom-policy
• Gulf News, who benefits from the 2026–27 changes: https://gulfnews.com/uae/no-homework-less-screen-time-which-uae-students-will-benefit-from-2026-27-academic-year-policy-changes-1.500654259