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Schools exempt from unified holidays

Private schools in Dubai will not be forced to follow the new unified academic calendar issued by the Ministry of Education as the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) issued an exemption for these schools recently.

The new rules come in response to the unique educational needs of Dubai’s private schools as different schools follow different curriculums. According to the KHDA, schools will be allowed to follow their own academic calendar, suiting their curriculum and academic needs, as approved by KHDA.

However, schools wanting to adopt the unified holiday schedule can do so. Commenting on the issue, Mohammed Darwish, Chief of Regulations and Compliance Commission at KHDA said: “The unique school landscape in Dubai (with 13 different curriculums and their individual requirements) is unlike anywhere in the world. Schools are attached to their respective education boards and have different schedules for examinations, visits by the accreditation bodies, external assessment dates and other similar commitments.” The decision will allow schools to plan the academic calendar in the best interest of the school as educational goals will not be compromised.

“KHDA chooses to offer schools a certain amount of leeway as it understands the needs of school, the student and parent community and the requirements of running a private school in Dubai,” added Darwish.

The regulatory body approves academic calendars for private schools in Dubai, provided they are in line with the minimum number of school days and minimum school hours as stipulated in the regulations. Schools that have yet to submit their calendar can do the needful keeping these minimum requirements in mind.

muaz@khaleejtimes.com