Parents have welcomed the change to the UAE school admission age cut-off. They say it ends years of uncertainty and will prevent children from losing a whole academic year for no reason.
On Wednesday, the UAE government announced that starting in the 2026-2027 academic year, the age cut-off for children entering KG1 in schools with a September start will move from August 31 to December 31.
The decision has been met with a wave of relief from families in the UAE who struggled with difficult choices due to their children’s birth dates falling just after the old deadline of August 31.
Mousa Abdelkarim, a Jordanian expat living in the UAE, was on the verge of sending his family back home to ensure his son didn’t fall behind. “I thank everyone who contributed to changing this decision because it was causing a dilemma in my family life,” he told Khaleej Times. “I was about to be separated from my family and children. Now, I am very happy that my family will stay with me and my young son will not lose a year.”
For many parents, this change solves a problem they have faced for years. Mariam, a mother from Sharjah whose son was born in early September, shared her happiness. “I was very happy with this decision.
I did not like the idea that he would have to enter school a year later,” she said. “However, we had hoped it would be implemented before the beginning of this year, as many parents are frustrated that their children lost a year.”
Another parent, Khawla from Ajman, called it the “best decision,” even though her own children are not affected. “I saw many mothers suffering, and the year was lost for them, so I am honestly happy with this decision,” she said.
Educators also strongly support the change, saying it clearly benefits children’s development.
Fatima Al Ram, a kindergarten teacher at Al Shorouq Kindergarten in Dubai, said the decision is clearly in the best interest of children. “From an educational point of view, I am certain that this decision will be 100 per cent in the interest of the parents and their children,” she stated. “A child at this age certainly needs to join kindergarten and have the right to education from the beginning of January until December of the same year, with the aim of developing their social, mental, and physical skills.”
The policy, approved by the Education, Human Development, and Community Development Council, applies to new students joining schools that start their academic year in September. For schools starting in April, the cut-off date is still March 31.
The Ministry of Education confirmed that current students will not be affected by this change. The new system aims to make the admission process more unified and fair across different curricula and help students move between schools more easily.
The policy change comes after a year of public and official discussion. In late 2024, the Federal National Council (FNC) discussed the issue, and FNC member Saeed AlAaabdli spoke about the challenges faced by parents whose children were born in the last quarter of the year.
He had argued that the August 31 cut-off left many children too old for most nurseries but too young to start school.
Wednesday’s announcement is viewed as a direct, positive response to these concerns, bringing national policy into line with what the community needs.
© Khaleej Times
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