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The Federal Authority for Government Human Resources issued a circular to all ministries and federal entities outlining a back-to-school policy that permits parents among the federal workforce to adjust their schedules by up to three hours either through late arrival or early departure. The directive applies to the first day of the academic year for parents of children in primary school and higher grades while extending throughout the first week for those with children in nurseries or kindergartens. Each request remains subject to managerial approval under existing federal guidelines to avoid workflow disruptions, according to the authority.
Under the policy federal staff can use the flexibility specifically for accompanying children to schools or nurseries at the start of the new term, the authority stated in an announcement distributed on X. Employees may also claim up to three hours of leave during the academic year to attend parent-teacher meetings, graduation ceremonies or other significant school events. The circular, which Gulf News covered in its reporting, seeks to support families without compromising government service delivery.
The measure coincides with the Ministry of Education’s plan for reduced school hours from August 31 to September 3, before full attendance resumes on September 4, Emirates 24|7 reported. Kindergartens will operate for three hours and 15 minutes daily under the gradual return while hours for other cycles range from four to five hours depending on the stage and gender-specific schedules in some cases. Schools retain flexibility to organise attendance days based on their readiness and in coordination with transport providers, the ministry’s guidelines show.
A parallel initiative in Ajman grants similar leeway of up to three hours per day to government employee parents, with the full first week available for those with nursery or kindergarten children, Khaleej Times reported on August 27. Permissions must be logged via the Mawared Ajman app and human resources units will supervise implementation while school start times follow the approved curriculum. These aligned steps at federal and emirate levels reflect coordinated planning to ease the transition as temperatures remain high in late August.
The back-to-school flexibility builds on the UAE’s wider adoption of adaptable work models in public sector operations, where previous seasonal programmes demonstrated gains in employee satisfaction without reducing productivity, government assessments have found. Federal entities will apply the policy uniformly while individual managers assess operational needs before approving adjustments. The authority framed the circular as a practical response to the start of the school term that assists working parents across the country’s federal workforce.
Similar human resources policies have helped balance family responsibilities with public service requirements in recent years, particularly as the education sector implements reforms such as reduced homework for early grades and limits on classroom screen time for certain subjects, Gulf News noted in related coverage of the 2026-2027 academic changes. The Federal Authority for Government Human Resources continues to circulate such directives to ministries and entities to maintain consistency nationwide. This latest circular takes effect immediately ahead of the school reopening scheduled for Monday.
