Government staff in the UAE will be allowed to work shorter hours for the first week of the new school year if their child attends nursery.
Federal employees whose children attend primary school and above are allowed to work reduced hours on the first day of the school year, on August 25, the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources said.
Staff whose children are at primary school are allowed to be late for work or can leave early on the first day by no more than three hours, the authority added on X. The same rules apply to government staff whose children attend nursery, but the guidelines apply for the whole of the first week.
Staff may also be granted permission to work shorter hours so they can attend parent-teacher meetings, graduation ceremonies and other school events during the academic year, the authority added.
Approved by the UAE Cabinet, the flexible working plan was introduced in 2018 to boost the work-life balance of federal employees.
Thousands of pupils are preparing to return to classrooms across the UAE next week. For many schools in the country, such as British and American establishments, the end of August is the start of the 2025-2026 academic year.
However, the school year starts in April for Indian-curriculum schools, with the summer holiday an interlude in their calendar.
The UAE academic year for public and private schools is divided into three terms, with winter, spring and summer breaks, and must be made up of at least 182 days.
