KHDA Releases Academic Calendar for Dubai Private Schools with Key Holiday Dates
Schools that begin in September will start the upcoming academic year in August 2024, with winter break commencing in early December and classes resuming in January. Spring break is scheduled for late March 2025, with students returning in early April. The academic year must not end before 27 June 2025, ensuring the minimum requirement of 182 school days is met.
For schools that follow an April start, the 2025–2026 academic year will begin on 7 April 2025. Summer break starts at the end of June, followed by a return to class in late August. Winter break begins on 15 December 2025, with the academic year concluding by the end of March 2026, pending fulfillment of school day requirements.
The calendar also includes tentative dates for public holidays such as Eid and UAE National Day. Schools will confirm these dates once they are officially declared by the federal government.
Parents are encouraged to check individual school profiles for tailored calendars. Regardless of curriculum, all Dubai private schools are required to follow the KHDA-approved academic structure.
News Source: KHDA
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Middle East Eye
24-07-2025
- Middle East Eye
Gaza: This 12-year-old dreams of combing her hair again after surviving an Israeli attack
Twelve-year-old Hala Shukri Dehliz was playing with her friends on a swing in Gaza one evening during Ramadan, even as the constant sounds of war raged in the background. Suddenly, an Israeli air strike detonated near the swing. Its force twisted the metal chains around her head, tearing off parts of her scalp along with her hair. 'My hair got stuck with the swing,' she recalls. 'The skin of my head was removed. I was rushed to the hospital. I stayed there for two months, but they couldn't treat me. The inflammations and ulcers only got worse.' The first day they did surgery, they used 175 stitches to close her scalp. 'I woke up and saw myself without hair. I had a breakdown and fainted. My parents tried to reassure me. They said, 'Don't be afraid. You'll travel and get treatment. Your hair will grow again.' But I kept crying.' New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Before the bombing, Hala had prepared for Eid with excitement. 'I had bought ties for my hair and Eid clothes,' she says, her voice breaking. 'But I spent Eid in a hospital bed. I didn't feel the joy. I didn't wear the clothes. I was just... there.' 'We have been displaced six times' Hala's father, Shukri Omar Eid Dehliz, speaks with the fatigue of a man shouldering the unbearable. 'We are originally from Rafah. We have been displaced six times. Our home was bombed and demolished. Each place we went, we could only stay for 20 days, a month, sometimes two. Now, we're in Khan Younis, al-Mawasi, living in a tent near the sea.' Their tent stands on rented land they can 'barely afford'. Hala Shukri Dehliz in Gaza with her siblings (Eman Alhaj Ali/MEE) 'Winter brings floods inside the tent. Summer is unbearable. There's no electricity, no solar panels. Even basic food is missing,' he said. There is no bread. No medicine. No safety. 'Hala can't even take painkillers,' he says. 'She needs to eat before taking them, but there's no food. We survive on aid - mostly lentil soup. Every child gets one small plate per day. That's it. 'We are a family of seven. Some days we have only two pieces of bread. We divide them among us. The children cry for food. I have nothing to give them. It's a cruelty no parent should face. My child begs for bread, and I can't provide it. Sometimes, we just want to die instead of continuing this life in Gaza.' A mirror without reflection Hala's daily routine is now confined to the interior of a suffocating tent. She isolates herself from other children who react to her scarred head with confusion and fear. 'When I try to go outside, the children ask why I don't have hair. They get scared. So I stay inside. I play alone. I try to write and draw myself,' she says softly. 'When I try to go outside, the children ask why I don't have hair. They get scared. So I stay inside. I play alone' - Hala Shukri Dehliz 'Every day, I stand in front of the mirror trying to comb my hair. But there is no hair to comb.' Hala was a top student, dreaming of becoming a doctor - dreams now paused by trauma and the physical pain of untreated wounds. 'I was always the first in my class,' she remembers. 'I used to wake up early, comb my hair, go to school, then play with my friends. Now, I don't go to school. I look in the mirror and I just see loss.' She still keeps a lock of her long brown hair, holding it as a reminder of who she was, and who she hopes to become again. 'I want to travel abroad and get treatment. I want to have my hair again. I want to play with my friends. I want to feel pretty again.' 'Gaza is starving to death' Hala's father speaks in anguish about the daily torment and mounting famine which has in recent weeks led to a growing number of deaths from malnutrition and dehydration. 'There's no flour, no rice, no milk or vegetables. Even when there's food in the market, the prices are too high for us. My four-year-old cries for bread. I can't bear it.' He recounts how their lives have shrunk into a punishing cycle of fear, hunger and helplessness. Former UN aid chief: Israel committing 'worst crime of the 21st century' in Gaza Read More » 'The bombs fall constantly. The children scream in terror. Gaza is in a state of disaster. We are unemployed. The borders are closed. No aid is coming in. As parents, we demand the world to act. This genocide must stop. 'We are not asking for luxury. We are asking for the basics - bread, water, medicine. We are asking for a chance for our children to live.' Hala's story is not an isolated tragedy. She is one of tens of thousands of children injured or killed in a war that has erased homes, schools and playgrounds, as well as whole families. Border closures have blocked any attempt to evacuate her for treatment. Her parents - both injured in separate attacks - desperately try to find sterile gauze, clean water and food to support her healing. 'She needs daily medical care,' says her mother, Mayada. 'She cries every day, remembering her hair. Her head is still full of ulcers and infections. If she doesn't get out soon, it will get worse.' Despite everything, Hala said she still dreams of a hospital bed in a foreign country where doctors will help her scalp heal. She dreams of brushing her hair and even one day becoming a doctor. 'I hope the world hears me. I hope someone helps me travel. I want my hair back. I want to be beautiful again.'
Middle East Eye
23-07-2025
- Middle East Eye
Gaza: A young girl tries to live with devastating injuries
Twelve-year-old Hala Shukri Dehliz was playing with her friends on a swing in Gaza one evening during Ramadan, even as the constant sounds of war raged in the background. Suddenly, an Israeli air strike detonated near the swing. Its force twisted the metal chains around her head, tearing off parts of her scalp along with her hair. 'My hair got stuck with the swing,' she recalls. 'The skin of my head was removed. I was rushed to the hospital. I stayed there for two months, but they couldn't treat me. The inflammations and ulcers only got worse.' The first day they did surgery, they used 175 stitches to close her scalp. 'I woke up and saw myself without hair. I had a breakdown and fainted. My parents tried to reassure me. They said, 'Don't be afraid. You'll travel and get treatment. Your hair will grow again.' But I kept crying.' New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Before the bombing, Hala had prepared for Eid with excitement. 'I had bought ties for my hair and Eid clothes,' she says, her voice breaking. 'But I spent Eid in a hospital bed. I didn't feel the joy. I didn't wear the clothes. I was just... there.' 'We have been displaced six times' Hala's father, Shukri Omar Eid Dehliz, speaks with the fatigue of a man shouldering the unbearable. 'We are originally from Rafah. We have been displaced six times. Our home was bombed and demolished. Each place we went, we could only stay for 20 days, a month, sometimes two. Now, we're in Khan Younis, al-Mawasi, living in a tent near the sea.' Their tent stands on rented land they can 'barely afford'. Hala Shukri Dehliz in Gaza with her siblings (Eman Alhaj Ali/MEE) 'Winter brings floods inside the tent. Summer is unbearable. There's no electricity, no solar panels. Even basic food is missing,' he said. There is no bread. No medicine. No safety. 'Hala can't even take painkillers,' he says. 'She needs to eat before taking them, but there's no food. We survive on aid - mostly lentil soup. Every child gets one small plate per day. That's it. 'We are a family of seven. Some days we have only two pieces of bread. We divide them among us. The children cry for food. I have nothing to give them. It's a cruelty no parent should face. My child begs for bread, and I can't provide it. Sometimes, we just want to die instead of continuing this life in Gaza.' A mirror without reflection Hala's daily routine is now confined to the interior of a suffocating tent. She isolates herself from other children who react to her scarred head with confusion and fear. 'When I try to go outside, the children ask why I don't have hair. They get scared. So I stay inside. I play alone. I try to write and draw myself,' she says softly. 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Sharjah 24
30-06-2025
- Sharjah 24
Senior citizens share heritage with children in Sharjah nurseries
The programme is led by a group of mothers and grandmothers who graduated from the 'Knowledge is Light' literacy programme, which lasted for seven years. These women had a strong desire to continue learning or educating others by passing on their experiences and knowledge, thus giving rise to the 'Emirati Etiquette Specialist' initiative, which was launched during the recent Eid Al Adha. Sustainable Learning Naema Al Zarouni, Director of Social Education at the Department and supervisor of the initiative, said that 'Emirati Etiquette Specialist' is part of the broader 'Knowledge is Light' initiative for sustainable education for the elderly, under the theme 'We empower for a life well-lived and an impact that inspires.' It allows senior citizens to stay active even after completing non-formal education classes, specifically designed for the elderly. The goal is to enable them to play an active role in the community by passing on Emirati heritage and values to children in an interactive way. Empowering Senior Citizens She explained that the initiative aims to empower elderly citizens by giving them the opportunity to spend time with children in Sharjah nurseries, instilling values and reviving traditions. They share love and stories from their memory of the beautiful past, including customs and traditions, as well as teaching children about old crafts and trades that were once a source of livelihood. Stories from the past hold many lessons, but today's children—due to exposure to diverse cultures and the allure of modern technology—have become disconnected from their roots, often unaware of or indifferent to their heritage. Nursery Children She added that this is why the Social Services Department launched and continues to support the initiative in nurseries—to help instill values and revive traditions among today's young generation. The initiative is divided into four phases: The first phase involved selecting elderly participants specialised in Emirati etiquette; the second focused on designing interactive programs, workshops, and educational games; the third was the implementation of the workshops in the community by the senior participants; and the fourth phase will assess the initiative's impact and guide its future development, as it is intended to continue for years to come. The initiative has received positive feedback from children since its launch. So far, four workshops have been conducted in addition to an opening session focused on Eid greetings. In that session, children learned traditional phrases such as 'Eidkum Mubarak,' along with the etiquette of Emirati dress and polite greetings for Eid. They also participated in a creative activity, sticking themed stickers onto paper. The first workshop centred on greetings and included a role-playing activity where children took turns acting as hosts and guests. The second focused on the Emirati traditional dress, aiming to strengthen national identity and pride in cultural attire. Children discussed differences in clothing styles with the grandmothers. The third workshop explored hospitality and honoring guests, using a skit to teach the correct way to serve Arabic coffee. The fourth workshop focused on love for the homeland and national symbols, aiming to foster patriotism and a deep sense of belonging, including teaching the children the UAE national anthem.
