Excitement builds as UAE students gear up for new AI lessons
AMEINAH ALZEYOUDI (ABU DHABI)Young students across the UAE are looking forward to exploring artificial intelligence as they get ready for the new academic year, with the country's new AI curriculum mandate set to take effect. AI is now an official subject for public school students — from kindergarten to Grade 12 — as campuses reopen for the 2025-2026 academic year, following an education policy announced in May. The programme was launched as part of the National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031, aiming to shape a future-ready generation equipped with essential digital skills and a forward-thinking mindset.
Nine-year-old student Mansour Alamrei is excited to learn how to create apps and even virtual assistants. 'I already have a vision of a future in digital entrepreneurship,' Alamrei told Aletihad . Mariam Al Breaki, a 14-year-old student in Abu Dhabi, described AI as 'a robot that helps the teacher' — a view that emphasises how play-based learning is introducing complex ideas to the youth. Some students have demonstrated advanced knowledge of AI as a concept. Fifteen-year-old Hamad Alkaabi, for example, is interested not in the fundamentals of the technology but in the ethics and cybersecurity matters associated with it. 'We need to understand AI before it understands us,' said the teen from Al Ain. Others initially felt the technology was beyond their grasp. Yara Mohammad, a 13-year-old from Fujairah, admitted feeling slightly anxious about the complexity of AI, but found reassurance in knowing that the course explores innovative applications across other subjects.Older students see AI classes as a big help as they prepare to take the big leap into higher studies. Layan Abdullah, a 17-year-old Grade 12 student from Ras Al Khaimah, is already looking into how AI is influencing digital media. 'Such information would be helpful no matter what profession I choose to take,' she said. Fawzia Al Fadhili, a computer science teacher at a public school in Abu Dhabi, said 'integrating AI into the curriculum is both an exciting opportunity and a huge responsibility.''This year, I want all students — regardless of their academic background or ability — to be able to understand and use AI,' she said.Key focus lessons on AI were designed to help students understand how the technology affects their everyday lives, Al Fadhili added.
'We have created interactive lesson modules, coding exercises, and real-world case studies. In addition to honing their technical abilities, I hope this course will instil in them a critical and moral perspective of the technology that will influence the future,' she said.
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