Dubai: Details of the plan for the gradual return of students at various educational levels to schools during the first week of the new academic year 2026-2027, adopted by the Ministry of Education and circulated by schools to parents, revealed two scenarios for the return of students. Students’ attendance will be reduced from Monday to Thursday, so that the number of hours during the first week of school will be reduced by three hours and 15 minutes for kindergartens, four hours for the first cycle and five for the second and third cycles, while Friday will see full attendance.Starting Monday, August 31, 2026, schools in Dubai and the Northern Emirates will begin implementing the plan, which will continue for four days, until Thursday, September 3. All students will be attending full-time classes on Friday, September 4. The School Operations Sector in Dubai and the Northern Emirates prepared the plan to ensure an organised and safe return for students and the continuity of the educational process, leading to full attendance at school, while giving schools flexibility in determining the days for student attendance during the gradual return period, according to their readiness and needs.The plan is based on three main pillars: a gradual return of students from Monday to Thursday according to attendance days determined by each school, the application of reduced attendance during these days, and then the transition to full attendance for all students on Friday, September 4.Two scenarios for organising attendanceThe plan outlines two timelines for the gradual return of students, allowing schools to choose the most suitable arrangement based on their readiness and needs. It also emphasises the necessity of coordinating with the school transport provider to prevent any scheduling conflicts. Furthermore, it grants school, kindergarten, and educational complex administrators the flexibility to adjust the return schedule and increase the number of days students are present as needed.Scenario oneThe first scenario divides the attendance of students in school classes over the days from Monday to Thursday, so that each class attends only one day during the gradual return period, while all students return to school on Friday.According to the schedule, first-grade students will attend on Monday, August 31, second-grade students on Tuesday, third-grade students on Wednesday, and fourth-grade students on Thursday. In the second cycle, fifth-grade students will attend on Monday, sixth-grade students on Tuesday, seventh-grade students on Wednesday, and eighth-grade students on Thursday.As for the third round, ninth-grade students attend on Monday, the tenth grade on Tuesday, the eleventh grade on Wednesday, and the twelfth grade on Thursday.In the kindergarten or primary school category, first-grade students attend on Mondays and Tuesdays, and second-grade students attend on Wednesdays and Thursdays, before all students return on Friday, September 4.Scenario twoThe second scenario allows for an increase in student attendance days during the gradual period, with students in some classes attending two days instead of one.In the first cycle, the first grade attends on Monday and Tuesday, the second grade on Tuesday and Wednesday, the third grade on Wednesday and Thursday, and the fourth grade on Wednesday and Thursday.In the second cycle, the fifth grade attends on Monday and Tuesday, the sixth grade on Tuesday and Wednesday, the seventh grade on Wednesday and Thursday, and the eighth grade on Wednesday and Thursday.As for the third cycle, the ninth grade attends on Monday and Tuesday, the tenth grade on Tuesday and Wednesday, the eleventh grade on Wednesday and Thursday, and the twelfth grade on Wednesday and Thursday.Kindergartens will continue according to the same distribution in both scenarios, with kindergarten students attending on Monday and Tuesday, and kindergarten students attending on Wednesday and Thursday, with all students attending full-time on Friday.Reduced working hoursThe Ministry outlined the school hours during the gradual return period in its guidelines, noting that these hours vary according to the educational stage. For kindergartens, the reduced school day begins at 8.15a.m. and ends at 11.30a.m., totalling 3 hours and 15 minutes.In the first episode, the plan specified two options: the first from 7.15am to 11.15am, and the second from 8:15am to 12.15pm, with four hours in both options.As for the male students in the second and third cycles, their school day starts from 7.15am to 12.15pm, for a total of five hours, while the school day for the female students in the second and third cycles starts from 8.15am to 1.15pm, for a total of five hours, as well.On Friday, September 4, with the transition to full-time schooling, kindergarten hours will be from 8am to 11.30am, while the first cycle hours will be according to the first option from 7.10am to 10.30am, or according to the second option from 8am to 11.30am.The school hours for male students in the second and third cycles are from 7.10am to 10.25am, while the school hours for female students are from 8am to 11.30am.Measuring and reporting on family and student satisfactionThe plan does not end with the end of the gradual return days, as it includes a phase to measure the results of the campaign to welcome students and return to schools, by measuring parents’ satisfaction with the campaign, conducting a survey of students’ opinions and benefiting from the feedback provided by them.The plan also requires schools to fill out all forms approved by the Ministry, and to submit reports on the activities carried out by each school during the return period.Thus, the plan places the return to school for the academic year 2026-2027 within a gradual, flexible and multi-track framework, starting with reduced attendance distributed across classes over four days, with more than one mechanism available to organise attendance days. It is not limited to the academic aspect, but extends to the readiness of buildings and facilities, school transportation, security and safety, receiving new students, activities, communication with families, and finally measuring the satisfaction of students and parents and evaluating the return experience.Schools retain the flexibility to rearrange the return schedule and increase student attendance days to suit their readiness and needs, provided they coordinate with the transportation service provider to prevent scheduling conflicts between shared buses, before transitioning to the full return of all students to in-person classes on Friday, September 4, 2026.
