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ABU DHABI / WAM
The UAE’s education sector witnessed a wide-ranging set of development measures throughout 2025, including curriculum updates, a strong focus on future technologies, and major enhancements to higher education and scholarship systems. The year 2025 was marked by the launch of initiatives aimed at nurturing talent and stimulating scientific research, most notably the Zayed Education Foundation, which seeks to support 100,000 young talents by 2035 and prepare them to lead global economic, social and environmental progress.
The year also saw the introduction of artificial intelligence as a compulsory subject from kindergarten through Grade 12, positioning the UAE among the first countries worldwide to integrate AI into school curricula. The Ministry of Education announced updated educational streams for Cycle 3 students in public and private schools following the national curriculum. The advanced stream enables students to pursue higher education in engineering, medicine, pharmacy and sciences, while the general stream allows specialisation in humanities, literature, business administration, law, arts and social sciences.
The ministry also approved a mandatory framework for teaching Arabic language, Islamic education and social concepts in kindergartens at private schools, covering approved curricula.
Meanwhile, the Education, Human Development and Community Development Council (EHCD) adopted new criteria for students pursuing higher education abroad, aimed at enhancing their readiness for the labour market and regulating scholarship programmes in line with national priorities and key economic sectors.
The Council also approved an update to the student age cut-off date for Kindergarten and Grade 1 admissions. Beginning with the 2026–2027 academic year, the official age cut-off will shift to 31st December of the admission year for all schools and kindergartens whose academic calendars begin in August or September. Previously, the cut-off date was 31st August. These dates will apply to new students in kindergarten and Grade One from the 2026–2027 academic year. The Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) launched its Pre-Departure Week programme to prepare 300 students from ADEK Scholarship programmes for their upcoming academic journeys abroad.
The 2025–2026 academic year also saw qualitative reforms. Centralised tests at the end of the second semester have been removed and replaced with school-based summative assessments, with centralised tests remaining only in the first and third semesters. The updates included the approval of the second phase of the project-based learning and assessment (PBLA) system, now covering all Cycle 2 students in public and private schools applying the MoE curriculum, alongside the development of the national assessment system, increased Arabic language instruction time in kindergartens, and the allocation of daily hours for Cycle One students to strengthen language skills.
In the educational development sphere, the Mohamed bin Zayed Award for Best Teacher, in coordination with the Emirates College for Advanced Education, has launched a pioneering development programme titled “Executive Educational Excellence Pioneers”. This strategic partnership aims to empower an elite group of teachers who have won the award, enhancing their role in driving educational transformation and creating a positive impact, equipped with the best educational skills, tools, and internationally recognised practices.
The year 2025 also saw the launch of the Mohammed bin Rashid Government Scholarships initiative, which encompasses a package of programmes. Its first phase includes scholarships for a Master’s degree in Economic and Public Policy and a Master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence in the Government Sector.
In October, a new campus of the Mohamed bin Zayed University for Humanities was inaugurated in Madinat Zayed in the Al Dhafra region as part of the university’s strategic plans for local expansion. The branch will offer specialised programmes in Islamic and social studies and humanitarian work, reinforcing the values of citizenship, tolerance and coexistence.