Teaching staff returns to school on Monday after summer break

School administrators and teachers will begin the new 2025–26 academic year on Monday, August 18.

Students will start on the following Monday (Aug.25, 2025).

Specialised training for administrative and teaching staff will be held from Aug.18 to Aug. 22.

As most schools have finished their maintenance work, a few are continuing with 24-hour operations.

All maintenance work is expected to be completed by Sunday, ready for the arrival of administrative and teaching staff on Monday.

Concurrently, numerous educational institutions have initiated the distribution of various types of school uniforms to students who have finalised their enrolment and remitted the stipulated fees for both the initial semester and the uniform. It has been confirmed by numerous school administrations in Abu Dhabi that school uniforms and textbooks are in adequate supply and ready for distribution to students this week, with delivery anticipated prior to the commencement of the academic year.

The Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) has confirmed that, in accordance with the school fees policy, schools must exempt parents from certain fees for equipment, textbooks and uniforms for students who wish to use second-hand materials (such as resold and donated items) that meet the school's current requirements (e.g. valid book editions and current uniform colours/designs).

From the 2025-2026 academic year onwards, schools must publish approved fee schedules bearing the ADEK seal on their websites, as well as payment schedules and procedures for parents, subject to ADEK approval. Schools may only charge parents fees within the approved fee levels.

It was pointed out that schools must divide the six types of fee component specified in the policy into the following categories: tuition fees, educational resources fees, uniform fees, transportation fees, extracurricular activities fees and other fees.

Schools may also charge separate fees for board exams. They may also charge administrative fees related to these exams, providing an explanation for each fee, such as covering the costs of document processing, monitoring and mailing. In line with the department’s policy, the school’s website must clearly identify the fees for separate board exams, along with the grade levels to which they apply and any additional administrative fees for the exam.

Schools must comply with VAT laws in accordance with Federal Decree-Law No. 8 of 2017 on Value Added Tax and its amendments.

Private school principals in Abu Dhabi indicated that maintenance work had been carried out on all school facilities, including external buildings, playgrounds and classrooms, as well as the renewal of school desks.

This was part of an effort to create an attractive environment for students. There are 213 private schools in the emirate offering a variety of educational services at all levels, which are subject to supervision and monitoring by the ADEK to ensure educational quality.

Of these, 37 are educational partnership schools, which are funded by the government and managed by the private sector.