The UAE Ministry of Education has introduced a series of changes to UAE schools for 2026-27, covering homework rules, assessment weightings, digital tool use, Arabic language testing and a new national evaluation programme, as more than 1.277 million students began the academic year on 31 August.
No homework for early years, reading replaces assignments
Traditional homework has been removed for pupils from Kindergarten through Grade 2. The Ministry said the decision reflects the developmental needs of young children and is intended to create a healthier balance between school and family life.
In place of routine assignments, families will be encouraged to support daily reading at home. The Ministry said the approach is designed to build early literacy, strengthen language and cognitive development, and nurture curiosity without turning homework into a burden.
Assessment reform and the 50:50 split
Assessment weighting for Group A subjects in Cycle 3 will shift to a 50:50 split between school-based assessments and central assessments. The Ministry said the new balance is intended to reflect a student’s actual performance across the year while maintaining a unified national framework.
Teachers and school teams will also conduct diagnostic assessments to identify learning gaps early, with results feeding into lesson planning and targeted support including individual reading plans.
The Ministry said the goal of this year’s reforms is to move education from a focus on what was learned to how it will be applied, placing greater weight on practical application over rote memorisation, Gulf News reported.
Digital tools regulated in Grade 6
The Ministry is expanding its ‘Regulating the Use of Digital Tools in Education’ project to all Grade 6 students in public schools. The move follows a study involving 2,500 students across nine public schools during the previous academic year.
Preliminary findings from the study showed non-digital classrooms recorded clear improvement in mathematics, science and Arabic, along with better behaviour and stronger classroom focus. Digital tools will remain part of education but their use will be guided by standards intended to support academic achievement and cognitive development.
Arabic language assessment scaled up
The Ministry is launching the second phase of its Arabic language skills assessment, following a pilot conducted in 100 public and private schools. The next phase will cover 19,000 Grade 1 students in 162 public schools and 11,000 Grade 1 students in 130 private schools.
The programme is intended to establish a clear baseline for each pupil’s Arabic proficiency from the start of their educational journey. The Ministry described Arabic as a key national and educational priority.
National Education Charter guides the year’s theme
The 2026-27 back-to-school campaign runs under the theme “Guided by the Charter, Building Tomorrow.” The National Education Charter was developed through a national collaborative process involving more than 200 representatives from 31 federal, local and private entities, alongside educators, parents and students, and was launched on Emirati Day for Education.
Implementation will follow six pathways: linking Charter principles to educational outcomes; empowering teachers to apply them; embedding them into daily practice; using classroom and extracurricular activities to reinforce them; aligning the student code of conduct; and engaging families in their application.
School evaluations and teacher training
The Ministry will launch a programme to evaluate all public schools and private schools licensed by the Ministry over the next two academic years, beginning in the first semester of 2026-27. The evaluation will measure institutional and educational performance against national standards and enable schools to build sustainable development plans.
More than 24,000 teachers, school leaders and specialists will take part in a Specialised Training Week, covering more than 80 training programmes and workshops. A dedicated stream will support more than 1,700 school leaders.
For the year ahead, the Ministry of Education’s academic calendar shows the mid-term break running from 12 October to 18 October 2026, with schools resuming on 19 October. Winter break runs from 14 December 2026 to 3 January 2027. Spring break falls from 5 April to 11 April 2027, with the academic year closing on 2 July 2027.
The UAE school evaluation programme covering all Ministry-licensed schools is due to conclude across the 2026-27 and 2027-28 academic years, with results expected to shape school development plans across both cycles.
