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UAE academic year 2025-26: Fewer exams, new lesson plan for Arabic, Islamic studies
Key changes announced for students, teachers, and schools; here is what you need to know
- PUBLISHED: Fri 22 Aug 2025, 6:00 AM UPDATED: Fri 22 Aug 2025, 8:08 AM
From exam policies to a new plan for Arabic and Islamic classes, the Ministry of Education (MoE) is rolling out several changes this academic year. The changes aim to improve teaching quality, student wellbeing, and national competitiveness.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the 2025–2026 academic year, which begins on Monday, August 25. Centralised tests at the end of the second semester have been removed.
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Schools will now conduct their own summative assessments, while centralised tests remain only in the first and third semesters.
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With semester weights adjusted accordingly, the aim is to diversify assessment methods and promote student wellbeing.
What is this new standardised proficiency test?
Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of Education, has announced a new standardised proficiency test to measure Arabic, English, and mathematics skills for grades 4–11 in public schools. The first phase will cover 26,000 students.
What is new in project-based learning?
The second phase of the Project-Based Learning and Assessment (PBLA) system will cover all Cycle 2 students in MoE curriculum schools.
Phase one engaged 127,500 students across 350 schools.
What is the new plan for Arabic and Islamic education?
More teaching time will be dedicated to Arabic language and Islamic education, particularly for kindergarten and Cycle 1 students.
Grade 1 students across 100 schools will take an Arabic baseline assessment to guide tailored support programmes.
Are new schools and teachers being added?
Nine new schools will open across the emirates, welcoming over 25,000 students.
More than 800 new teachers will join public schools.
Over 460 schools have been maintained and equipped, 5,500 buses allocated, 10 million textbooks printed, and 47,000 laptops distributed.
What health and sports initiatives are planned?
A new Physical Education, Sports, and Health Programme will promote healthy lifestyles, including sports tournaments, restructured PE classes, and healthy meal options.
What about Artificial Intelligence (AI) education?
A nationally developed AI curriculum will be introduced for the first time in the UAE.
Around 1,000 teachers will implement it across all grades to prepare students for responsible and effective AI use in daily life and future careers.
How is teacher training being enhanced?
Over 23,000 educators attended a specialised training week, with 170 hours across 40 workshops for leaders and teachers, and 20 workshops for support staff.
The Educational Competency Assessment Project will target over 23,000 cadres to define career paths and strengthen skills across all school cycles.
As Associate Editor, Sahim Salim helps tell the UAE story like no one else does — and leads a team of reporters that asks the questions to get news and headlines that matter.
