When do UAE schools close for winter break and when does the new term start?

Pupils set for more than three weeks off this month

Pupils celebrate exam success at Gems Wellington school in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

Private schools in the UAE will close for the winter holidays this week and open for the new academic term at the beginning of next month.

Pupils will be off school for more than three weeks. Friday will be the last day for most pupils and classes will resume on Monday, January 2.

According to the Knowledge and Human Development Authority's academic calendar, the winter break is scheduled from December 12 to December 30, but with December 10 and 11 falling on a weekend and January 1 being a public holiday, schoolchildren will get three extra days off.

The next school holidays in the new year will be the spring break in March.

In September 2020, authorities announced the academic calendar for the next three years for all schools in the UAE.

All institutions following the Ministry of Education curriculum have a total of 188 school days in the current academic year, while all other schools must have a minimum of 182.

Schools following the ministry's curriculum will also get the same number of holidays for the winter break.

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