The school week in UAE has shifted to a four-and-a-half-day working week--Monday through half-day on Friday. The previous system adhered to the Sunday to Thursday workweek, with Friday and Saturday as holidays.
The change in the school timing is in line with the UAE government’s resolution to change government employees’ working days from Monday to half-Friday, to align with the rest of the world. Though, as of now, no changes have been devised in the private sector.
The government announced in the last week of December that the changes will be effective immediately. This meant a prolonged New year celebration because as per the new order, January 2, Sunday was a holiday. The rule applies to all the six emirates except Sharjah, where Fridays will continue to be a working day for both the public sector and educational institutions.
The UAE government tweeted that the change will “boost productivity and improve work-life balance”.
The private education sector in Dubai will also align with the UAE government’s changes, tweeted the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA).
How will the change affect the people?
Despite the schools’ promise for a smooth transition, families might have to find ways to cope with the unaccustomed changes.
The work hours of the government employees will be from 7.30am to 3.30pm from Monday to Thursday and on Friday till noon. Furthermore, the sermons on Friday will be held after 1.15pm in UAE, year-round.
What will change for the schools?
The new 4.5-day school week can mean extending the daily school hours for the students or conducting classes during the holidays. For instance, the American Academy for Girls (AAG) in Dubai has extended the school timing by 20 minutes to ensure the completion of the curriculum, as per a Gulf News report.
Moreover, research shows that the four-day school week is more effective in maintaining low rates of absenteeism, improves student achievement cumulatively, and benefits teachers’ recruitment.
Students can enjoy the extracurricular activities while teachers can unwind from the school mode.
In Dubai, the private schools can finish the days earlier or later after discussing with the parents, however, the classes must end at 12 pm on Friday. Private schools in Sharjah can adjust the timing by adding a maximum of three hours after the school hours for online learning or can convert holidays into working days.
The last change in the workweek was in 2006 when the weekends were changed to begin from the current Friday instead of Thursday.
