UAE Education · September 2026
By Amina Iqbal, Co-Founder, Family Collective · September 2026 · 6 min read
The UAE Ministry of Education announced in August 2026 that students from Kindergarten 1 through Grade 2 will no longer receive homework from the 2026-27 academic year, beginning 31 August. As a school leader with over twelve years in UAE education, I want to explain what this means, what the research says, and what families should do now.
Education Minister Sarah Al Amiri confirmed that students from KG1 through Grade 2 in public schools and private schools managed by the Ministry of Education will receive no traditional homework this year. Over 1.27 million students across 1,180 schools are affected.
In its place, the Ministry is encouraging a daily reading routine at home, with children reading alongside their parents. The Ministry described the decision as designed to "optimise classroom learning and restore a healthy balance between school and family life."
A second change applies to Grade 6: digital devices removed from core subjects — Arabic, English, Maths and Science — in favour of textbooks and pen and paper. A Ministry study found students without devices performed better and had stronger peer relationships.
Important for families in Abu Dhabi
This policy applies to public schools and MoE-managed private schools. Schools governed by ADEK in Abu Dhabi may have separate guidelines. Check directly with your school if unsure.
Professor Harris Cooper of Duke University conducted the most comprehensive meta-analysis of homework research in 2006. His finding: homework has a positive correlation with achievement, but this relationship is far stronger for secondary students than for primary-age children. For young learners — KG through Grade 2 — the correlation between homework and academic performance was consistently weak.
John Hattie, Professor of Education at the University of Melbourne and author of Visible Learning (2008), stated it plainly in a BBC Radio 4 interview: "Homework in primary school has an effect of around zero."
"The worst thing you can do with homework is give kids projects; the best thing you can do is reinforce something you have already learnt."
— Professor John Hattie, University of Melbourne
Professor Cathy Vatterott at the University of Missouri supports the "10-minute rule" as a maximum but argues there is insufficient proof that homework benefits elementary-age children. The UAE policy is entirely aligned with this body of research.
I have sat with enough exhausted six-year-olds at 9pm to know the cost of nightly homework at this age. What I have seen consistently: homework at KG and early primary level rarely teaches children. More often, it teaches parents, who end up doing the work, managing the meltdown, and absorbing stress that should never have entered the home.
The Ministry's decision to replace homework with a daily reading habit is exactly right. Shared reading between parent and child is one of the most powerful early literacy interventions available. It builds vocabulary, comprehension and a love of books, without the nightly battle over worksheets.
This policy does not change anything for Grade 3 and above. Homework continues. And for students navigating IGCSE, IB or American curriculum exams, focused independent practice at home becomes more important than ever, not less.
In a no-homework era for younger children, a tutor's role shifts: away from homework completion and toward enrichment, building confidence, closing gaps the classroom cannot address individually. For older students, a tutor who can structure meaningful independent practice is genuinely valuable.
Does your child need a different kind of support this year?
Family Collective matches families in Al Ain and Abu Dhabi with vetted tutors who understand exactly how UAE children learn.
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