At the beginning of the academic year, a number of educational institutions in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) notified parents and students that this year's autumn break will run from October 12 to October 16. This is one week earlier than in previous years.
According to reports published by Khaleej Times, this change aligns with the unified calendar of the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA). KHDA regulates private schools in Dubai and has adopted the MoE calendar.
Several schools, including Dubai British School, Safa British School, and Arab Unity School, sent out corresponding announcements to parents. These notifications stated: 'The autumn break will take place from Monday, October 12, to Friday, October 16, instead of Monday, October 19, to Friday, October 23.'
The schools acknowledged that some parents might have planned their affairs based on the former dates and apologized for any inconvenience caused.
One parent, who wished to remain anonymous, told Khaleej Times that the date shift caused dissatisfaction among some parents. He noted that for students in British curriculum schools taking AS and A level exams, this disrupts their schedule. The parent added that his daughter, a 13th-grade student, will be taking exams that week according to the schedule and will not get a break; after that, she has mock exams to prepare for, and he believes the previous dates provided the necessary break between classes.
Another mother reported that she and her family had booked a vacation based on the previously announced dates. She expressed shock upon receiving the email about the change and is now forced to investigate the possibility of getting a refund for the booking.
Meanwhile, parents of students in Sharjah schools reported that they had received no information regarding the autumn break dates. Salihah, a parent of three children in a British curriculum school in Sharjah, stated: 'I don't think we will have an autumn break. Since we have a four-day school week, the autumn break could further disrupt the children's studies and force teachers to rush through the material.'
The Ministry of Education announced the academic calendar for public and private schools for the next three years back in February of this year. It stated that the spring break would begin on October 12. However, local education authorities were given the freedom to allow private schools within their jurisdiction to distribute this break between October and February to suit their operational needs.