Dubai announces new school rules on hiring and firing staff – here's what you need to know

Dubai has introduced new technical guidelines on how private school staff are hired, supported and dismissed in the emirate.

The technical guide for appointing teaching staff in private schools and the staff deregistration technical guide are designed to improve standards, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority announced on Wednesday.

The measures include a standardised hiring criteria based on KHDA-approved requirements for qualifications, experience and conduct. Existing teachers must meet the new standards by 2028.

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Sackable offences were listed as:

• Criminal convictions and child protection breaches
• Gross professional misconduct
• Repeated unprofessional behaviour, such as dishonesty, inappropriate social media use, or culturally insensitive actions

These offences would result in deregistration, meaning a person is barred from working in any KHDA-regulated private school, early childhood centre, university, or vocational institute in Dubai.

Educators who resign midterm, regardless of whether they serve their notice period, must wait 90 days to join another school. And all educators must complete induction modules on safeguarding, inclusion, UAE values and professional ethics.

The announcement comes after a host of changes were introduced for this academic year.

New measures

The Ministry of Education approved its attendance and absence guidelines for the 2025-26 academic year earlier this month.

Five key measures were introduced, including a warning system activated after one day of unexcused absence. A notification system will inform parents immediately if their child misses school.

The maximum limit for unexcused absences is five days a term, or 15 in an academic year. Pupils may be required to repeat the year if they exceed the annual limit.

A pupil’s absence is to be counted as two days if they miss school on a Friday, or the days before or after public holidays, the ministry added.

New teachers recruited

The academic year started on August 25, with the Gems school group welcoming more than 1,700 new teachers across the UAE and Qatar. That was lower than last year, when 1,850 teachers were recruited, but group chief education officer Lisa Crausby said it was a “good sign” because the retention rate was improving.

Taaleem, which operates more than 30 schools in the UAE, told The National it recorded a "significant increase in teacher recruitment this academic year, reflecting both the population boom across the country and the continued growth of our schools".

"In August alone, we successfully onboarded more than 500 new teachers, alongside senior leaders, learning assistants and administrative staff," it added.

Taaleem said there was “strong interest” from teachers in other countries who are interested in working in the UAE. It said a new hiring model meant the group starts planning recruitment a year in advance and recommended that teachers demonstrate “adaptability, cultural awareness and commitment to professional development”.