UAE scraps homework for some public school students

Public schools students from Kindergarten to Grade 2 will not be given homework in the new academic year. 

Making the announcement, the Ministry of Education (MoE) said the move is aimed to "enhance quality of learning during the school day" and achieve "a better balance between learning and family life".

Schools will instead focus on improving "daily reading routines at home", with selected students encouraged to read alongside their parents at least once per day after school, and to help "develop linguistic and cognitive skills" in early childhood.

A policy for Grade 6 students has also been introduced to eliminate screen time in classrooms for subjects such as Mathematics, Science, English and Arabic, and instead focus on group work to enhance learning.

The ministry announced that more than 1,277,000 students are expected to be attending 1,180 public and private schools across the UAE during the 2026/27 academic year, with 26,700 new students starting at public schools.

More than eight million textbooks have already been distributed, while 5,810 school buses have been checked and assessed ahead of being on the roads to transport students.

Additionally, more than 80 training programmes will be available for educators across the academic year.

The MoE said the theme of this academic year is "building for tomorrow", with further assessments taking place on the use of digital tools in education and its efficiency and effectiveness.