Parents and pupils across the UAE shared their joy and excitement as children returned to school in their droves on Monday.
With more than one million going back to full time education, it is normally the busiest day of the year on the UAE’s roads, and the magnitude of the occasion was not lost on pupils.
“I am a little nervous about the harder subject knowledge this year,” Noah Williams, a Grade 5 pupil at Yas American Academy in Abu Dhabi, told The National. “But I am ready to try my best and I know my new teacher is going to be great. “I am most looking forward to class projects, school events, and making new friends. I hope this year will be fun and full of new challenges.”
This sentiment was echoed by parents dropping their children off at the school on Monday. “My biggest hope is that my child continues to grow both academically and personally,” Katrina Banyai said. “I value the support the teachers give and the open and direct communication the school maintains with parents, as that makes a huge difference.”
How schools are changing
The 2025/2026 academic year will bring a host of changes, not least a new unified national calendar.
One of the biggest talking points is the role of AI. Government schools are introducing AI classes across all stages of education from reception to grade 12 and, while each private school group has a different policy, the one point of uniformity is that embracing the technology is an inevitability.
Sarah Griffiths, principal at Yas American Academy, said that the mood music on this is clear. There is a focus on working with modern technology and also Arabic learning, in line with the national priorities set out by the Ministry of Education.
“Schools are focusing more than ever on innovation, technology integration, and sustainability in line with national priorities,” she said. “At Yas American Academy, we are aligning with these goals by emphasising artificial intelligence, Arabic language learning, cultural awareness and student well-being as part of our holistic approach.”
How busy was the first day back?
With police across the Emirates prepared for more cars on the roads on Monday morning, parents too were aware of the additional traffic.
Eissam Zuhair dropped his two daughters, who are in Grades 5 and 7, at Sharjah’s Sama American Private School.
“It was heavy traffic because it’s the first day of the week and the first day of school. I dropped my daughters at around 6.45am to avoid the traffic,” he said. “I’m always keen to drop them at school. It’s a nice feeling.”
Mr Zuhair said that Sharjah Police patrols were deployed in the area to ensure smooth traffic. “School also had its staff at the gates helping students and parents to cross the road and drop the children,” he added.
Mohammed Ali said he was keen to drop his son, who is in grade 2, on the first day of school despite registering him for the school bus. “He will be going to school by bus for the rest of the academic year but I insist on dropping him on the first day. This habit draws a smile on the children’s faces and it’s very positive to encourage them to love the school and learning,” he said.
Hassan Sabbah, director general of Sama American Private School, told The National that his school has strengthened its focus on welcoming its 1,129 pupils this year.
“We intensified our efforts for the operational side such as bus operations, drivers and safety. We wanted to make sure that the school provides an attractive and safe environment to welcome the students,” Mr Sabbah said.
New academic year, new schools
For Dubai British School Mira, in Dubai it was the school's first ever day of operations as well as the first day of term.
Initially, the school had aimed to open with 350 children, but Amy Falhi, the school's principal told The National that 708 children are enrolled. The school is currently open for children in Early Years Foundation Stage 1 until Year 6. Years 7 and 8 will be opened for students next year.
“As soon as admissions opened in October 2024 we hit the ground running because we had lots of interest,” Ms Falhi said. About a quarter of the students attending the school are from the surrounding Mira community – with about 70 per cent from other nearby communities such as Arabian Ranches and Town Square.
Eman Fawaz, the mother of Ghalia Hussein, who will be attending Year 1 at the school, lives within the Mira community – she said it was the school's outstanding ranking that attracted her to the institution, rather than proximity. “I applied as soon as admissions opened.” she said.
Yolandi Jennings recently relocated to Dubai from the Philippines and was having a hard time finding a school for her two daughters in Year 10 and Year 7. “I fell in love with DBS Mira, and called them every week to get the girls a place,” she said.
Growing in numbers
Demand for places in the emirate's schools is on the rise, not least because of Dubai's booming population. That is why the education provider behind the British School brand is keen to develop more schools across communities in Dubai.
“We are in fairly developed conversations with some of the major developers about further extending Dubai British school within the community, because the other thing we're conscious of today is traffic,” said Taaleem's chief executive Alan Williamson.
“The unique selling point of all of the Dubai British schools, whether it's Jumeirah Park or Emirates Hills or Mira, is they're in communities. And that's also what parents want.”
Message from the leaders
Also on Monday, UAE leaders sent messages of hope and goodwill to pupils setting out on another school year. An audio message from President Sheikh Mohamed was broadcast simultaneously in public and private schools across the country, continuing a practice from previous years, such as 2022 and 2024.
He highlighted the importance of embracing the Arabic language and described artificial intelligence as a “vital part of our future”.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, also issued a message in which he said new beginnings “carry optimism, goodness and hope”, and noted that the start of the new academic year “brings energy and momentum”.
