Dubai: Parents have confirmed that the plethora of school calendars deprives some families of their children being together during the October break (midterm break), as some students get nine consecutive days away from school, while their siblings continue attending classes or taking exams in schools that follow different academic calendars.
They shared that a single family may find itself facing two or three holiday calendars, especially when children are divided between schools whose academic year begins in August or September and others whose year begins in April. Parents stressed that the problem does not lie in the shortness or length of the holiday, but rather in its lack of synchronisation between the children, and what results from this is the rearrangement of parents’ work hours, childcare and family activities.
The mid-term break schedule for the first semester of the 2026-2027 academic year varies; students in schools subject to the unified academic calendar get five days off, from Monday, October 12 to Friday, October 16, which actually extends to nine consecutive days, taking into account the two weekend holidays, from Saturday, October 10 to Sunday, October 18 - before resuming studies on the morning of Monday, October 19.
These dates include government and private schools that adhere to the unified calendar, including private schools that implement the Ministry of Education curriculum, as well as international schools whose academic year begins in August or September according to their approved calendars.
While the nine-day break does not include all students, holidays vary in schools that operate according to an academic year that begins in March or April, especially schools that follow Indian, Pakistani and Japanese curricula, where their holiday is from October 19 to 23 according to the dates in their calendars.
In Dubai, these schools operate within an academic cycle that extends from spring to March of the following year, while the Indian and Pakistani curriculum schools in Sharjah started their current academic year on March 30, which makes their study periods and holidays not necessarily identical to the October holiday approved for schools subject to the unified calendar.
The multiplicity of calendars puts some families in front of two or more holiday dates within the same household; as one child begins his holiday, while his brother continues his studies or exams in a school that follows a different academic course, which confuses the organisation of the family week and the parents’ commitments.
In another instance of scheduling discrepancies, private schools in Dubai informed parents that the mid-term break would be brought forward by a full week to October 12–16, instead of the previously scheduled October 19–23, to align with the unified academic calendar. The notices of change included Dubai British School, Safa British School, and Al Wahda Al Arabiya School. Meanwhile, calendars published on official websites showed that other schools, including Dove Green, had adopted the new dates, making the most recent calendar adopted by each school the definitive reference for the start and end dates of the break.
Scheduling issues within families
The problem is evident within families whose children are distributed among schools with different academic calendars; one of them starts his vacation, while his brother continues studying the following day.
Parent Mayada Hassan said that the different holiday dates sometimes prevent the family from benefiting from them together, explaining that one of her children gets a mid-term break, while the other continues to study at a school that follows an academic year that begins in April.
She added: “The problem is that the children’s holidays do not coincide; when one of them stays at home and the other goes to school, the holiday loses its family character, and the family is faced with two different schedules.”
Parent Siham Abdel-Radi said that changing the holiday dates after the initial calendar release disrupts family commitments more than the calendar change itself, noting that parents arrange their children's work, activities, and schedules well in advance. She added, "We need a clear and stable calendar from the beginning of the year; any subsequent changes not only alter the holiday dates but also completely rearrange the family's week."
Parent Adel Shehata explained that the biggest challenge for working families arises when one child's vacation coincides with the parents' continued work and the other siblings' schooling, necessitating additional arrangements for childcare and daily activities. He added, "School holidays don't mean holidays for parents. When children's schedules differ, the family is required to manage multiple schedules simultaneously, increasing the organisational burden throughout the week."
The holiday poses an additional challenge for working families, with children staying at home and parents continuing to work, which raises the need for safe and organised alternatives to keep students occupied and away from excessive screen use.
Quality activities
School principal Faten Saeed said that the holiday represents an opportunity to involve students in optional sports, artistic and scientific activities that take into account their interests and give them space for movement, discovery, interaction and teamwork, away from the traditional lesson pattern.
She emphasised that the goal is not to replace the classroom with another academic program, but rather to provide quality activities that achieve a balance between comfort and benefit, and reduce the amount of time spent in front of electronic devices.
Teacher Mohammed Essam El-Din called on families to review the latest approved calendar for each child individually before arranging the holiday week, and not to assume that holidays will be the same just because the children are in schools within the same emirate or their curricula are similar.
He stressed the need to check the actual date of return to school, compare the calendars of siblings, and review the tests or requirements scheduled after the holiday, especially for families whose children are distributed among schools with different academic courses.
Experts stressed the need to ensure that the mid-term break does not turn into a school week disguised as homework and projects, emphasising that its primary function is to give students space to regain psychological and physical balance after intensive weeks of discipline, regular school attendance, and diagnostic assessments.
Educational expert Aisha Abdul Rahman said that during the holiday, the student needs a real break from the rhythm of the school day, without cutting off his connection to learning, explaining that free reading, mental games, and cultural and life activities achieve this balance away from imposing a new study schedule inside the home.
She added that the last days of the holiday should form a peaceful bridge to returning to school, by gradually adjusting sleep and wake times and restoring the daily routine, thus preparing the student to resume studying with energy and focus.