To improve attendance and academic performance, the education authorities of the United Arab Emirates have proposed new rules on attendance in the upcoming school year of 2025-26. Learners in government institutions in the UAE will now be closely monitored on their absences and parents will be provided with more responsibility in ensuring that their children turn up to classes. A single day of unexcused absence will lead to written warnings and going beyond the annual limit of 15 unexcused days can lead to repeating the current academic year.
In the new regulation, Fridays and absences around official holidays are to be counted twice. Parents are notified immediately when their child misses school and schools are supposed to make support plans to students whose absences occur frequently. Such strategies involve counseling, parent communication and motivational programs to help promote regular attendance.
The procedure of escalation is obvious: the first written warning is issued after 1 day, the first formal notification is issued after 3 days, referral to child protection units is issued after 10 days, the third warning is issued after 15 days, and the ministry departments and external child protection agencies are involved. Absence is justified in case of sickness, travelling on medical grounds, attending official functions, family crises or death of a family member.
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Education leadership in the UAE highlights that chronic absenteeism can impact greatly on learning outcomes and that the new attendance regulations are implemented to enable students to reach their potential. Parents and schools have shared a responsibility of keeping children in school at all times.
