The Ministry of Education has approved mandatory guidelines for teaching Arabic language, Islamic Studies and Social Studies in kindergarten classes across all private schools in the UAE.
The new requirements will take effect from the 2025/2026 academic year and apply to every private school in the country, regardless of curriculum.
The initiative targets strengthening national values among children from kindergarten age, with the aim of developing a generation that demonstrates pride in national identity, proficiency in Arabic and understanding of UAE family, social and environmental values, the Emirates News Agency (WAM) said in a statement.
UAE private schools face new requirements for Arabic, Islamic Studies teaching
The Ministry stated the guidelines align with its vision of enhancing national identity through early education.
Officials emphasised the commitment to developing programmes that build children’s reading, writing and national identity skills from the foundation years to support later educational development.
Private schools will receive instructional frameworks and learning outcomes for all three subjects before the 2025/2026 academic year begins. The Ministry will conduct advisory visits to schools during the initial implementation phase.
Regular inspections will begin in the 2026/2027 academic year, carried out in partnership with local educational authorities to verify compliance with the guidelines.
Arabic language instruction will be mandatory for all students, starting with 200 minutes weekly (40 minutes daily) in 2025/2026. This will increase to 300 minutes weekly (60 minutes daily) by 2027/2028.
Qualified early childhood teachers will deliver Arabic lessons using approved educational resources and age-appropriate methods designed for both native and non-native speakers.
Meanwhile, all Muslim students in kindergarten will receive Islamic Studies instruction for 90 minutes per week. Schools can structure this as either three 30-minute sessions or two 45-minute sessions weekly.
Private schools must also incorporate concepts covering family, UAE geography, UAE environment, social values and key social topics into kindergarten education.
The Ministry specified these concepts should be presented through simplified, play-based learning approaches integrated into daily routines both inside and outside classrooms.
